SEADS 2023 Thematic Session
Meeting Sustainability and Climate Goals with the Cloud
Organizers: Asian Development Bank, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, and Amazon Web Services
30 March • 16:00–17:30 GMT+8/ Bali Local Time
SPEAKERS
- Scene Setter: Avneet Singh, EMEA Senior Specialist Solutions Architect for Energy and Utilities, AWS
- Genevieve Ding, Head of Sustainability Strategy for Asia–Pacific and Japan, AWS
- Astrid Dita, Head of Tech for Indonesia, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
- Stephen Peters, Senior Energy Specialist (Waste-to-Energy), Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, ADB
- Tiny Haynes, Principal Analyst, Edge Infrastructure and Services, Global, S&P Global
- Moderator: Ping Manongdo, Country Director, Philippines, Eco-Business
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
This session will explore how cloud computing and cloud-enabled tools are helping to drive the twin transitions of digitalization and decarbonization.
BACKGROUND
Over the past decade, cloud computing has revolutionized how people and organizations work around the world by democratizing access to technology, allowing organizations of all sizes access to a plethora of digital tools, as well as the security benefits of the cloud. Cloud computing is the foundational enabler of the digital transformation of governments, businesses, and organizations of all sizes, and the default pathway for innovation.
Today, governments, public sector organizations, not-for-profits, universities, and enterprises of all sizes across Asia innovate better, faster, and more cost-effectively through the cloud. Yet, many organizations, both in the public and private sectors, are not aware of the sustainability benefits of the cloud.
To begin with, cloud infrastructure is at least 5 times more efficient than the average on-premises data center across Asia and the Pacific, such that moving IT workloads to the cloud would immediately reduce energy use and associated carbon emissions by approximately 80% across the region.
But perhaps the most transformative role the cloud can play is to accelerate the sustainability innovation process itself. Cloud-enabled technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, the internet of things, and edge computing are already critical to accelerating systemic transformations at scale. In the energy and utilities sector, for instance, these technologies facilitate more efficient grid management, and scalable integration of renewable power and distributed energy resources. In the transport sector, these technologies optimize the efficient use of electric vehicles and speed up the electrification of transport fleets.
SESSION OBJECTIVES AND BENEFITS
This session will explore the sustainability benefits of the cloud, and how cloud-enabled tools are helping to drive the twin transitions of digitalization and decarbonization. It will examine real-world use cases. There will also be a discussion on policy recommendations on how removing barriers to cloud adoption may actually help countries achieve their sustainability goals.
