At its Inspire 2020 conference in July, Microsoft announced five new initiatives to advance towards its 2030 carbon negative goal. Later in the same month, the tech giant teamed up with MSCI to innovate in the global investment industry while also converging on both companies" sustainability goals.
Today, Microsoft has unveiled a new partnership with British multinational oil company bp. Both firms are collaborating on meeting sustainability aims, the supply of renewable energy, and Azure cloud services.
The goal of achieving a net-zero carbon future is not only one being pursued by Microsoft as aforementioned, but one that bp has set its sights on as well - albeit through the following of a more relaxed timeline. With the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU), the firms plan to help the world decarbonize by developing smart and clean cities, clean energy parks, consumer energy management, and industrial IoT solutions.
Judson Althoff, EVP of Microsoft"s Worldwide Commercial Business, commented on this move in the following way:
"bp shares our vision for a net zero carbon future, and we are committed to working together to drive reductions in carbon emissions and fulfil demand with new renewable energy sources. A strategic partnership such as this enables each organization to bring its unique expertise for industry-leading change and the potential to positively impact billions of lives around the world."
Additionally, bp has extended its agreement to use Microsoft Azure as its preferred cloud services platform. bp will also be providing renewable energy to help power Microsoft"s datacentres across multiple regions including the U.S., Europe, and Latin America.