Written by Sujesh Kodoth, Solution Area & Industry Cloud Lead, Customer Experience & Success, Microsoft
Azure Digital Twins leverages IoT for powerful modeling that can ease transition to greater sustainability.
Climate impacts raise stakes for Net Zero transition
Following weeks of vital discussions at COP27 in Egypt, the urgency to bring the world to a more sustainable path has never been greater. Scientists have warned that the world needs to cut global emissions by 5 percent to 7 percent per year to limit the damage caused by climate change. At present, however, emissions are rising by 1 percent to 2 percent per year. Discovering new routes to a Net Zero economy is critical if we are to limit the economic and social damage of a rapidly changing climate. And that means we all have a part to play in ensuring we strike the optimal balance between greenhouse gas production and the amount of greenhouse gas that gets removed from the atmosphere.
A Microsoft and PWC blueprint for the transition to Net Zero highlights the importance of innovation and the harnessing of new technologies that enable organizations to deliver on their Net Zero ambitions, at pace. A key innovation that aims to accelerate organizations’ journey to Net Zero is digital twin technology supported by AI Infrastructure capabilities. A digital twin can be considered as a virtual working representation of assets, products, and production plants. Powered by Microsoft Azure AI-optimized infrastructure that leverages NVIDIA accelerated computing and networking technologies, digital twins allow organizations to visualize, simulate, and predict operations, whether those are at a manufacturing plant, a wind farm, a mining operation, or any other type of operation.
Adoption of digital twin technology offers early adopters the potential of truly accelerated and differentiated business value realization. Innovative companies can leverage this potent toolset to accelerate their innovation journeys and drive strategic business outcomes powered by technology innovation at scale. A recent study by Microsoft and Intel found that globally, only 28 percent of manufacturers have started rolling out a digital twin solution, and of those, only one in seven have fully deployed it at their manufacturing plants. One of the key findings of this study highlighted that when digital twins are utilized effectively, they can realize huge efficiency, optimization, and cost-saving gains while unlocking mission-critical insights that can drive innovation and improve decision-making for those who adopt the technology.