Sustainability at the forefront of digital transformation

Sustainability at the forefront of digital transformation

Sustainability at the forefront of digital transformation
To successfully leverage AI, companies need to ensure that sustainability remains at the forefront of decision making.
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As organizations worldwide invest in increasingly diverse applications of AI, from portfolio optimization to supply-chain management and executive decision-making support, there is little doubt that AI is here to stay and adoption will only grow.

Estimates from International Data Corporation, a market intelligence business, suggest that in 2023, enterprises worldwide spent $166 billion on AI solutions — software, hardware and services. This figure is expected to grow by 27 percent per year to reach $423 billion by 2027.

According to a recent report by PwC, the generative AI market in the Gulf region alone could be worth up to $24 billion by 2030. Various states in the region have made major investments in AI, committing significant resources.

Saudi Arabia has established the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence, the UAE has a minister of state for artificial intelligence at the nation’s AI Office and Qatar launched its Artificial Intelligence Committee in 2019.

Overall, PwC predicts the Middle East will accrue 2 percent of the total global benefits from AI by 2030, worth about $320 billion.

However, new data centers and digital infrastructure will be required to support the unique technical requirements of this expansion — built at scale quickly, efficiently and with resiliency. In the process, these developments will create sustainability challenges.

Schneider Electric, which specializes in digital automation and energy management, has found that AI workloads present specific demands and disruption challenges that many data center owners and operators might not be prepared for.

If businesses with IT portfolios that include data center facilities are unable to cope with the demands created by AI, they risk missing out on business opportunities and potentially jeopardizing their sustainability goals.

One hyperscale operator reportedly experienced a 48 percent increase in emissions in the space of five years as a result of the AI data center boom.

If companies are to successfully leverage AI, it is important to ensure sustainability remains at the forefront of decision making by allowing those who are developing or transforming existing facilities, or designing new ones, to do so confidently to keep pace with market growth.

Schneider Electric is one of the companies that provides resources designed to empower chief information officers and IT executives and help them achieve their requirements.

We have established a partnership with Nvidia that brings together a wealth of cutting-edge expertise in the field of AI to build on our existing research and ensure not only that data centers can accommodate AI, but that they are also optimized for it.

We see a future in which AI is deployed in combination with edge computing to provide the power of the technology closer to where the data is generated and services consumed. The benefits of this include low latency for the utilization of real-time data and emerging technology devices.

It is expected AI will also play a crucial role in sustainability efforts more generally. With emissions targets and deadlines looming, businesses will increasingly seek to better measure, manage and reduce their emissions, and the specific capabilities of AI to capture, analyze and distill large volumes of data into actionable insights will be invaluable.

The effects of AI are already being felt and experienced all around us. It is yet another tool that has been added to the business toolbox to help us tackle the challenges and opportunities created by digital transformation and the increasing digitalization of society and the economy.

Businesses such as Schneider Electric are working hard to make it more understandable, accessible and available to organizations through research, resources and partnerships, so that we can all engage with AI confidently, securely and sustainably.

Natalya Makarochkina is senior vice president of the secure power division of international operations at Schneider Electric

 

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News' point of view

Saudi leadership congratulates Jordan king after successful surgery

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (File/SPA)
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (File/SPA)
Updated 1 min 47 sec ago
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Saudi leadership congratulates Jordan king after successful surgery

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (File/SPA)
  • King Abdullah left hospital on Tuesday after undergoing minor surgery
  • The 63-year-old monarch was admitted earlier in the day for an incisional hernia at King Hussein Medical City

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent cables of congratulations on Tuesday to Jordan’s King Abdullah after he underwent minor surgery.

In separate cables, the king and crown prince prayed for the Jordanian monarch’s health and happiness. 

King Abdullah left hospital on Tuesday after undergoing minor surgery, the Jordanian royal palace said.

The 63-year-old monarch was admitted earlier in the day for an incisional hernia at the country’s King Hussein Medical City.

He is set to resume his working schedule on Wednesday, according to the royal palace. 


Medvedev edges Khachanov in windy Qatar Open

Medvedev edges Khachanov in windy Qatar Open
Updated 16 min 31 sec ago
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Medvedev edges Khachanov in windy Qatar Open

Medvedev edges Khachanov in windy Qatar Open
  • Medvedev, who won the tournament in 2023, scored his first victory over a top-30 player in 2025
  • In match of long rallies, Medvedev did not carve out a break point until the 12th game of the second set

DOHA: World No.6 Daniil Medvedev eliminated compatriot and defending champion Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the second round of the ATP Qatar Open on Tuesday.
Medvedev, who won the tournament in 2023, scored his first victory over a top-30 player in 2025.
Medvedev, the former world No.1, has not won a tournament since the Rome Masters in spring 2023. He was knocked out in the second round of this year’s Australian Open by teenage American Learner Tien.
In match of long rallies, Medvedev did not carve out a break point until the 12th game of the second set, by which time he was a set down. He took his chance and then went on attack in the third set to win in two hours 30 minutes.


A third Russian former champion, Andrey Rublev, the fifth seed, beat Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-4.
Alex de Minaur celebrated his birthday by beating Russian Roman Safiullin 6-1, 7-5, even though the Australian did not enjoy the weather.
“They’re tough days, these ones,” said De Minaur. “It’s cold, it’s windy, you probably don’t want to get out of bed. But once you step on court, you have to do everything you can to win. Whether it’s ugly or pretty tennis, you just put the ball in the court, and that’s what I did today.”
“Out went any sort of tactics you had for the match and it was all about surviving more than anything.”
In the evening matches, Novak Djokovic was making his comeback against Matteo Berrettini after his Australian-Open semifinal injury.
Earlier in the day, Djokovic said that Andy Murray would continue as his coach “indefinitely.”
“I expressed my desire to continue the collaboration with him so I am really glad he did accept,” said Djokovic.


Senior UK judge slams political leaders over Gaza asylum verdict response

Senior UK judge slams political leaders over Gaza asylum verdict response
Updated 20 min 58 sec ago
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Senior UK judge slams political leaders over Gaza asylum verdict response

Senior UK judge slams political leaders over Gaza asylum verdict response
  • PM, opposition leader criticized decision to allow in Palestinian family under Ukraine refugee scheme 
  • Sue Carr: ‘It is really dangerous to make any criticism of a judgment without a full understanding of the facts and the law’

LONDON: The most senior judge in England and Wales has described as “unacceptable” comments by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and opposition leader Kemi Badenoch about a Palestinian family being given asylum in Britain.

Lady Chief Justice Baroness Sue Carr said she was “deeply troubled” after both leaders denounced a decision to take in the family from Gaza under a scheme originally set up for Ukrainian refugees.

At a press conference, Carr added that fears among the judiciary for their safety in the UK is at an “all-time high,” and it is not for politicians to question judges’ decisions made in accordance with the law.

The family of six, who are political opponents of Hamas, planned to stay in the country with a British relative who could provide shelter and financial support.

The two tribunal judges adjudicating the case made clear that their decision would not set a precedent for a Palestinian resettlement scheme in the UK.

However, the case was raised by Badenoch in Parliament last week, saying the decision to allow the family asylum in the UK is “completely wrong and can’t be allowed to stand.”

Starmer replied: “I don’t agree with the decision. The leader of the opposition is right that it’s the wrong decision.

“She hasn’t quite done her homework, however, because the decision in question was taken under the last government, according to their legal framework.”

He added: “It should be Parliament that makes the rules on immigration. It should be the government who make the policy. That’s the principle.

“The home secretary is already looking at the legal loophole that we need to close in this particular case.”

Carr said she had written to Starmer to express her feelings that “both the question and the answer were unacceptable.”

She added: “It is for the government visibly to respect and protect the independence of the judiciary. Where parties, including the government, disagree with their findings, they should do so through the appellate process.”

Carr said: “It is not acceptable for judges to be the subject of personal attacks for doing no more than their jobs.

“Their job is to find the facts on the evidence before them and apply the law as it stands to those facts.”

She added: “If they get it wrong, the protection is a challenge on appeal. If the legislation is wrong, it is Parliament’s prerogative to legislate.

“It is really dangerous to make any criticism of a judgment without a full understanding of the facts and the law.”


At UNSC, Pakistan calls for permanent ceasefire in Gaza, urgent humanitarian support to Palestinians

At UNSC, Pakistan calls for permanent ceasefire in Gaza, urgent humanitarian support to Palestinians
Updated 32 min 39 sec ago
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At UNSC, Pakistan calls for permanent ceasefire in Gaza, urgent humanitarian support to Palestinians

At UNSC, Pakistan calls for permanent ceasefire in Gaza, urgent humanitarian support to Palestinians
  • The statement comes amid a six-week truce between Hamas and Israel that ended 15-month war, which has killed over 48,000 Palestinians
  • Pakistan Deputy PM Ishaq Dar rejects any displacement of the Palestinian people, urges revival of a process to achieve two-state solution

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to people affected by Israel’s war as he addressed a high-level debate at United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Dar was addressing the debate, titled “Practicing Multilateralism: Reforming and Improving Global Governance,” which was convened by China. The session was presided over by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
The statement came amid a six-week truce announced on Jan. 19 between Hamas and Israel that ended 15 months of war, involving the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to the north.
Addressing the session, Dar emphasized the need for international commitment to multilateralism to address emerging global challenges, calling for upholding principles of the UN Charter, including self-determination, the non-use of force, respect for sovereignty, and the peaceful resolution of disputes.
“He called for the full implementation of the agreement to secure a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza and the urgent humanitarian support to the Palestinian people and the revival of a political process to achieve the two-state solution,” the Pakistani foreign office said.
Israel’s war on Gaza, which began after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians and displaced almost all of Gaza’s 2 million population by laying waste to swathes of neighborhoods, schools and hospitals.
The deputy prime minister condemned the massive loss of civilian lives and the persistent Israeli violations of the international law.
“He rejected any displacement of the Palestinian people from their homeland,” the foreign office added.
The statement followed remarks by United States (US) President Donald Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu about the relocation of Palestinians to Egypt, Jordan or other countries, which have been rejected by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan and other nations apart from being condemned by international rights groups.
Palestinian territory – encompassing the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem – has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has consistently called for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters
In his address, the Pakistan deputy premier also proposed the adoption of a roadmap for strengthening multilateralism and reforming the global governance.
“He emphasized the need for a more inclusive, democratic, and accountable Security Council, reforming the international financial architecture and strengthening international cooperation to address emerging challenges, particularly the regulation of transformative technologies like artificial intelligence,” the foreign office added.


F1 drivers gather in London to launch 75th anniversary season

F1 drivers gather in London to launch 75th anniversary season
Updated 43 min 10 sec ago
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F1 drivers gather in London to launch 75th anniversary season

F1 drivers gather in London to launch 75th anniversary season
  • The F1 75 Live event at London’s O2 arena marks a new approach by the series
  • Teams will present their 2025 liveries, but don’t have to show off the actual cars they’ll race this season

LONDON: All 20 Formula 1 drivers and the 10 teams are expected in London on Tuesday to kick-start the 2025 season with a new live launch show.
The F1 75 Live event at London’s O2 arena marks a new approach by the series. It’s the first time the sport is hosting its own large-scale launch event, rather than leaving it to the individual teams to present their drivers and cars.
The televised two-hour show includes musical acts like country singer Kane Brown, British band Take That and American rapper MGK, also known as Machine Gun Kelly.
Teams will present their 2025 liveries, but don’t have to show off the actual cars they’ll race this season. Teams are still allowed to hold their own launch events to present their 2025 cars, as McLaren and Williams did last week.
It comes at a time when F1 is keen to expand beyond a sports audience, with races in cities like Miami and Las Vegas, a movie called “F1” starring Brad Pitt releasing in June, and the ongoing popularity of the “Drive To Survive” series on Netflix.
“To have this many fans out shows that we bring the sport together away from the racetrack. There’s a lot of excitement,” McLaren chief executive Zak Brown said Tuesday.
“The Brad Pitt movie will no doubt create a huge amount of awareness for the sport. Netflix, I’m sure, knowing what happened last year, will be a drama-filled television show again, which has been great for all of us. So I think the sport’s going from strength to strength.”
Drivers broadly welcomed the new launch show, though two-time champion Fernando Alonso warned it could be “a little bit of distraction” at a time when drivers and teams are fine-tuning their approach to the season.
F1’s preparations for the new season — which marks the series’ 75th anniversary — continue with preseason testing next week at the Bahrain International Circuit. The first race is the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 16.