Microsoft has announced new data and AI features for its Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability, a cloud-based platform that helps organizations measure, manage, and reduce their environmental impact. The new features include sustainability data solutions in Microsoft Fabric, Copilot in Microsoft Sustainability Manager, and intelligent insights in Microsoft Sustainability Manager.
Microsoft Fabric is a cloud-based analytics platform that enables organizations to connect, analyze, and act on their enterprise data, including environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data. With the new sustainability data solutions in Microsoft Fabric, now in preview, organizations can access and organize their ESG data, improve data sharing and governance, and generate actionable insights using advanced analytics and AI.
The sustainability data solutions in Microsoft Fabric provide four capabilities to help organizations meet their sustainability requirements:
- ESG data estate helps organizations centralize and standardize their ESG data from various sources and compute, analyze, and disclose ESG metrics for different reporting and analytics needs.
- Microsoft Azure emissions insights enable organizations to report and analyze their Microsoft Azure usage-related emissions data at subscription and resource levels.
- Environmental metrics and analytics help organizations generate custom reports, metrics, and analytics insights across carbon, water, and waste by connecting to their data in Microsoft Sustainability Manager.
- Social and governance metrics and reports provide insights, dashboards, and metrics to support organizations’ needs across various sustainability directives.
Copilot in Microsoft Sustainability Manager
Microsoft Sustainability Manager is a cloud-based application that helps organizations track, manage, and report their sustainability performance. With Copilot in Microsoft Sustainability Manager, now in preview, organizations can use natural language queries and generative AI to get faster answers and insights from their sustainability data.
Copilot is an AI assistant that can answer questions, analyze data, and draft reports using natural language. Organizations can ask Copilot questions such as “How can I reduce my carbon footprint?” or “What are the best practices for water conservation?” and Copilot will provide relevant answers and suggestions using data from Microsoft Sustainability Manager and other sources.
Copilot can also help organizations prepare their sustainability reports by generating drafts based on their data and preferences. Organizations can customize and refine the reports using Copilot’s feedback and guidance.
Intelligent insights in Microsoft Sustainability Manager
With intelligent insights in Microsoft Sustainability Manager, also in preview, organizations can get deeper analysis and recommendations from their calculated emissions data. Intelligent insights use AI models to identify emission reduction opportunities, compare performance with peers and benchmarks, and forecast future emissions based on scenarios and actions.
Intelligent insights can help organizations answer questions such as “What are the main drivers of my emissions?” or “How can I achieve net zero emissions by 2050?” and provide data-driven insights and suggestions to help them achieve their sustainability goals.
Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability helps organizations accelerate sustainability progress
Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability is a cloud-based platform that helps organizations accelerate their sustainability progress and business growth. It provides tools and solutions to help organizations measure, manage, and reduce their environmental impact, and to report and communicate their sustainability performance to stakeholders.
Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability is part of Microsoft’s commitment to be carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste by 2030, and to empower its customers and partners to do the same. Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability is available for preview and will be generally available later this year.
