2022 brings the 20th anniversary of Imagine Cup, the preeminent global student technology competition where students from around the world apply technology to imagine, develop, and present innovative solutions that address real-life local and global issues. This year, students from over 160 countries participated in the competition. Submitted ideas included an app that teaches kids how to write interactively, a monitoring system that ensures ideal conditions for the safe storage and transportation of produce, an app that translates sign language into Python code, and a health monitoring system for breeding chickens.
From tens of thousands of registrants, 48 World Finalist teams were selected last month, and now only 3 teams remain. On May 24, the first day of Microsoft Build, they will be competing in the Imagine Cup World Championship for the grand prize of USD50,000 in Azure credits, USD100,000 cash prize, and a mentoring session with Microsoft Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella. Each team will pitch their project and demo their technology, followed by questions from a panel of seasoned professionals. Judges will use their industry and personal experience to assess each solution based on its use of Azure technology, accessibility and inclusion, marketability as a business idea, and its potential for making an impact.
Let’s meet the judges:
Linda Lian
CEO/Founder
Community Room
Linda Lian is co-founder and CEO at Common Room, the intelligent community growth platform for today’s fastest-growing companies. She founded Common Room in 2020 to help bring organizations of all sizes closer to their communities. Common Room is the first and only platform that gathers community engagement, product usage, and customer data into a single place and makes it actionable for organizations. Previously, Linda led product marketing for serverless computing at Amazon Web Services, where she saw firsthand the impact developer communities had on product adoption and advancing the company’s goals. She lives in Seattle where she enjoys spending time outdoors and with her partner, dog, and cat.
Kat Norton
Founder and Chief Excel Officer
Miss Excel
Kat Norton spent 4 years as a consultant teaching Excel and in June 2020 decided to post mini Excel lessons on TikTok out of boredom. Her viral Excel trick videos are infused with creativity, music, dance, and genuine passion; they of course quickly went viral. The fourth video was about the data-searching XLOOKUP feature set to DMX’s song “X Gon Give It To Ya” and surpassed 100,000 views within just a few days. Within a few months, she built out online courses to sell directly to consumers. This fun side hustle turned into Miss Excel, a successful full-time Excel training business that has grown to more than 1 million followers across TikTok & Instagram — and has brought in 7 figures in course sales..
She also hosts corporate Excel trainings and does motivational speaking engagements on how to shift your energy to find fulfillment in your career. Kat was recently awarded the Microsoft MVP award and was featured in Business Insider, CNBC, Fox, Bloomberg, The Times and Daily Mail as a pioneer in the “Excel Influencer” space. Kat was also named one of the Top 10 Social Media Influencers of 2021 by Forbes.
Phil Spencer
CEO
Microsoft Gaming
Phil Spencer leads Microsoft’s global interactive entertainment business across all devices and services. He plays all sorts of games and has worked in technology and entertainment for more than 30 years, leading global business, creative and engineering teams. He has previously held roles across Microsoft including Executive Vice President, Gaming; Head of Xbox; Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Studios; and General Manager, Microsoft Game Studios EMEA.
In his roles at Microsoft, Phil has led the Xbox organization through multiple console launches; multiple acquisitions, including Mojang (parent company of Minecraft); and influenced global entertainment franchises such as Halo, Gears of War and Forza. He has also led the expansion of cross-platform gaming with the Xbox Network, investments in subscription business models with Xbox Game Pass, and Microsoft’s introduction of Xbox Cloud Gaming. With his team and colleagues, he continues to push the boundaries of creativity, technical innovation, and fun across genres, audiences, and devices.
Before beginning his career as an intern with Microsoft in 1988, Phil graduated from the University of Washington. He is an executive sponsor of the university’s Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering and also serves on the Board of Trustees of The Paley Center for Media.
Join us on May 24 at Microsoft Build to find out who will become the 2022 Imagine Cup champion! Follow the action on Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date with all the competition action. Plus, as a student at Microsoft Build, you can explore topics designed to inspire your learning journey and help you further your career in tech or build your next amazing project. Register at no cost now!
This past quarter was shaped by global events and has renewed our focus on how the cloud enables organizations to manage risk while supporting growth. In my conversations with customers, building more resilient and adaptable supply chains is top of mind. Organizations across industries are using cloud-powered technologies to help predict supplier constraints and deliver on their customer promises. Customers have also shared how the cloud enables them to achieve more with less and better track, measure and report progress toward their sustainability goals. By deploying AI-based solutions, data sensors and predictive analytics, among other digital technologies, they are accelerating their sustainability journey and creating greater business value. That extends to what we term the industrial metaverse, where we are helping companies to drive material outcomes through simulations and artificial intelligence. In parallel, as our customers continue to adapt and transform through cloud adoption, they face increased security considerations. Digital defenses using automation to prevent, detect and contain cyber-risks are helping them innovate in multi-cloud environments.
Microsoft has been at the forefront of delivering the digital tools and services organizations need to lead their teams through unprecedented times, embracing partnerships to achieve more together. Today, Mastercard announced the launch of an enhanced identity solution integrated with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fraud Protection to improve the online shopping experience and tackle digital fraud. Through one of Kraft Heinz’s largest technology investments to date, the consumer goods giant is applying SAP on Azure, Microsoft AI and digital twins to transform its operations and create a more collaborative supply chain to enhance experiences for more than 2,500 U.S. customers and millions of consumers. With Azure as its primary cloud provider, U.S. Bank is scaling innovative products to customers and partners while empowering its increasingly agile workforce. Westpac has announced its strategic partnership with Microsoft to help drive the bank’s digital and hybrid multi-cloud strategy, using Azure AI and data services to rapidly respond to customer needs. Boeing is deepening its partnership with Microsoft to update its technology infrastructure and mission-critical applications, unlock innovation and further strengthen its commitment to sustainable operations through the Microsoft Cloud and its AI capabilities. XPENG is reimagining in-vehicle voice experiences with Azure Cognitive Services. We have also completed our acquisition of Nuance to help providers offer more affordable, effective and accessible healthcare.
Manufacturing and logistics leaders are transforming supply chains.
Manufacturers are choosing the Microsoft Cloud to establish more resilient supply chains Brazil-based food company BRF is leveraging Azure Machine Learning to tightly monitor its supply chain, reduce food waste, produce food more sustainably and personalize recommendations for customers. London-based fashion retailer ASOS is using Azure AI to expand the range and availability of products, and maximize demand conversion, customer choice and stock availability. With Azure IoT Hub and Azure IoT Central, Keurig Dr Pepper is revolutionizing the coffee experience for consumers and simplifying fleet management and maintenance for commercial partners. Siemens Mobility has transformed its CRM with Dynamics 365 and integrated with Microsoft Teams to handle complex sales and service efforts across employees, customers and partners. With Azure, Tekion is modernizing the end-to-end automotive retail journey to enable seamless customer engagements and the highest level of operational efficiencies. Swiss manufacturer Jansen is using Dynamics 365 to resolve complex reporting requirements related to EU cross-border supplier and customer relationships. Indonesia’s largest shipping company, Meratus, is working with Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and Azure to increase internal efficiency and improve workplace agility.
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Sustainability is a non-negotiable priority across industries Spanish firm Nueva Pescanova has built the world’s first intelligent aquafarm to better feed the world through Azure AI- and IoT-enabled sound detection. Danish wind company Vestas is using Azure Machine Learning and High Performance Computing to control the “shadow effect” of wind turbines slowing down each other. Japan’s Seven Bank is working with the Microsoft Emissions Impact Dashboard to help reduce its carbon emissions. The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Poland has moved its public-facing applications and internal SAP systems to Azure to help citizens save energy and reduce air pollution. Singapore’s REC Group has also migrated its SAP system to Azure to minimize operating costs, increase efficiency and accelerate growth. Finally, as software is critical for a greener future, Shell is providing a unified development platform with GitHub Enterprise to more than 4,000 developers.
Telecom operators and partners are unlocking 5G.
5G is enabling immersive personal and professional experiences AT&T is integrating its 5G network with Azure private multi-access edge compute (MEC) to help deploy private wireless networks for low-latency services. e& (formerly Etisalat) is partnering with us to accelerate its transformation and reinvent consumer experiences. We have also expanded our collaboration with Telefónica to the consumer space and are working with Rogers to revolutionize hybrid workplace communications with Operator Connect Mobile across Canada. HARMAN is accelerating smart connectivity innovations with Azure private MEC, and one of the largest airports in the U.S. has already gained significant savings through an IoT-enabled cargo process. Lockheed Martin is collaborating with Microsoft to rapidly advance reliable connections for U.S. Department of Defense systems capable of spanning air, land, sea, space and cyber domains.
Microsoft AI and mixed reality enhance operations and training.
Industrial metaverse technologies are spurring leaders to transform their operations Australian resources company Newcrest is leveraging Microsoft technology to improve operational performance through a digital twin of its value chain and a high-impact sustainability data model. Renault is optimizing training for its technicians with HoloLens 2 and Dynamics 365 Remote Assist, cutting CO2 emissions by 80% through reduction in travel. With Microsoft HoloLens 2 and Azure Mixed Reality, GE Healthcare is giving service engineers hands-on practice to service complex medical equipment. NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in Singapore is using HoloLens 2 to teach medical and nursing undergraduates. Italian rail infrastructure manager Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane is deploying Azure AI and mixed reality technology for onsite and remote progress evaluation and quality checks of rail construction sites.
Organizations are differentiating through end-to-end security Swiss agriculture supply chain company COFCO International is using Microsoft Defender for IoT and Microsoft Sentinel to secure its production environment. Heineken is meeting its security and agility needs with Microsoft while “brewing a better world” that is zero waste, carbon neutral and water positive. In Canada, the Government of Alberta has stopped at least 1,000 cyberattacks with our technology. The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology is future-proofing a secure university-to-student connection with Azure Active Directory. Martin & Zerfoss is turning to Microsoft Defender for Business to make enterprise-level security affordable for small businesses. E-commerce company QNET has migrated to Azure with an end-to-end security strategy for more productivity, transparency and return on IT investments.
Digital technologies transform virtual and classroom learning.
Hybrid learning is here to stay Austria-based SOS Children’s Villages is helping children in more than 130 countries and offers child care training to parents and caregivers through a multilingual digital assistant with Azure Cognitive Services. The Sinjai Regional Office of Education in Indonesia is transforming the way students learn together in hybrid classrooms using Microsoft 365 and Teams. The University of Bath is helping its researchers process high volumes of data faster with Azure HPC + AI. Mexico’s Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey is serving teachers, students and staff with a virtual assistant built with the Azure Bot Framework. The Education Authority is delivering 20,000 new Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ devices to more than 1,100 schools in Northern Ireland. The Tolleson Union High School District is helping develop the next generation of leaders with Surface laptops, and the Space Plants Lab at the University of Florida is pushing the boundaries of botany in space with Microsoft Surface Pro 7.
Despite ongoing headwinds, customers continue to innovate in impressive ways. With the power of the Microsoft Cloud, they are actively mitigating risks to better serve their own customers and reach their targets for sustainable growth and market share. As their most trusted technology partner, we take great pride in co-innovating solutions that help their businesses achieve their potential, and we look forward to our continued collaboration ahead.
Every day, we must do our part to protect our planet from the impacts of climate change, and technology has an important role to play.
This Earth Day, like every Earth Day, I am taking the time to reflect on what we all need to do to protect and sustain Earth’s natural systems. What is unique this year is that I am doing it in person with my team for the first time in a long time.
Collaboration is an essential part of solving our climate crisis: sharing data, creating space for the connections that lead to innovations, and rallying around a common mission and goal. At Microsoft, it is something we are keenly focused on with our employees, our customers, and our partners.
Today, my team is together, and we will take a breath of fresh air, and continue the hard work needed to fulfill our commitments of being carbon negative, water positive and zero waste by 2030 all while protecting more land than we use and building a Planetary Computer.
Today, Team Xbox is excited to celebrate Earth Day. Our mission is to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet. We also recognize the impact that gaming has on our environment. Microsoft has set ambitious commitments to significantly reduce the company’s environmental impact and operate as a carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste company by 2030. In support of this, Xbox is also working to reduce its negative environmental impact while continuing to produce the high-quality gaming products and experiences our fans know and love.
Team Xbox is making changes across all stages of the product lifecycle in order to meet our corporate sustainability commitments. You can read more about these efforts and what you can do to help reduce your impact in our recent Xbox Sustainability wire post.
To find more ways you can reduce your impact on the environment while playing in the Xbox ecosystem, check out what you can do in our latest blog post. We also recently launched our all new Xbox Sustainability Hub. We invite the community to visit and stay current with the latest updates from Xbox.
We look forward to celebrating all that Xbox is doing to drive change and make positive impact in sustainable gaming. Here are some of the ways that team Xbox is celebrating and increasing environmental awareness on Earth Day:
Gaming and Impact with Microsoft Rewards: World Wildlife Fund, Water.org, and The Nature Conservancy
Microsoft Rewards members in the United States can earn and donate points to support select environmental organizations with Xbox. The below organizations will be featured on console throughout April:
World Wildlife Fund – As the world’s leading conservation organization, WWF works in nearly 100 countries. At every level, they collaborate with people around the world to develop and deliver innovative solutions that protect communities, wildlife, and the places in which they live. Their mission is to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on Earth.
Water.org – 1 in 10 people lack access to safe water and 1 in 4 people lack access to a toilet. Water.org is a global nonprofit organization working to change this. They help people living in poverty get access to safe water and sanitation at home – giving women hope, children health and families a bright future.
The Nature Conservancy – The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive. Their mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.
Additionally, for every dollar that Microsoft Rewards donates in April, The Nature Conservancy will plant a tree as part of their Plant A Billion Trees program. Learn more about this program here and plant your tree today!
Xbox gamers can earn Microsoft Rewards points in various ways, such as playing or purchasing games after downloading the Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox. Earn points and redeem them for real rewards. Join us today and donate through Xbox.
Xbox Plays Celebrating Earth Day week with Streamer Takeovers
During the week of April 18 through 22, the Xbox Twitch Channel celebrated Earth Day by featuring environmentally focused streamer takeovers.
Explore Amazing Worlds This Earth Day with Xbox Game Pass
While many fans continue to experience widespread social distancing and isolation, we invite our Xbox community to explore amazing worlds through gaming! From building, crafting, or exploration on earth or other worlds, Xbox Game Pass has created an Earth Day inspired collection. Other games feature survival themes in challenging environments and elements of creating or caring for life in sustainable ways. Enjoy exploring!
Featured Games
Jurassic World Evolution (Cloud, Console): Bioengineer dinosaurs that think, feel and react intelligently to the world around them and face threats posed by espionage, breakouts and devastating tropical storms in an uncertain world where life always finds a way.
Subnautica: Below Zero(Cloud, Console, PC): Dive into a freezing underwater adventure on an alien planet. Below Zero is set two years after the original Subnautica. Return to Planet 4546B to uncover the truth behind a deadly cover-up. Survive by building habitats, crafting tools, & diving deeper into the world of Subnautica.
Craftopia(Cloud, Console, PC): Arrive at a small island packed with animals, resources, and infinite possibilities. What you do in this game is completely up to you—gathering resources, harvesting crops, automating productions, fighting against bosses, capturing enemies, building a lovely house, unlocking new islands, exploring the world, and more! What will you do when you can do anything you’ve ever dreamt?
Fe (Console, PC): Discover a world you will never want to leave. Run, climb, and glide your way through a dark Nordic forest to explore its living, breathing world – one filled with secrets, legends, and mystical creatures.
Minecraft Celebrates Earth Day with New Recycled and Organic Content Product, Learning Content, and Build Challenges
In celebration of Earth Day, Mojang Studios is launching new learning content and a monthly build challenge for Minecraft: Education Edition. Classrooms around the world are tuning in for virtual lessons where students meet sustainability experts and explore Climate Futures, a set of Minecraft worlds created in partnership with Met Office. Microsoft and Xbox worked with the UK Government’s Environment Agency to develop a flood preparedness world for Minecraft: Education Edition, which was also launched in UK schools this month. Mojang is also launching a new Earth Day collection of products on Minecraftshop.com that are made from organic or recycled content, including a new Minecraft playset by Mattel. Mattel shares our sustainable vision by highlighting that the new Minecraft Transforming Turtle Hideout Playset is made from a minimum of 20 percent recycled ocean-bound plastic. Find more activities for Earth Day with Minecraft.
Hog Wild Nameplate for Halo: The Master Chief Collection
In Halo: The Master Chief Collection, our players can customize their profile with special nameplates commemorating in-game activities or celebrating special events. To bring awareness to the celebration of Earth Day, any players who log in from April 20 to 27 will receive this special ‘Hog Wild’ nameplate, a not-so-subtle nod to the Warthog vehicle!
Celebrate Earth Day with Forza
Inspired by Xbox’s Earth Day and sustainability visual design, this chameleon-themed livery (with polychromatic rims) adorns the 2015 BMW i8, a hybrid, plug-in electric vehicle. The Earth Day livery is being gifted today to players in Forza Horizon 5 and Forza Horizon 4. Keep an eye on the Forza Horizon Twitter to see when it’s been delivered to your in-game Message Center.
In Forza Motorsport 7, players will receive the same car and themed livery, as well as rare Earth Day-themed driver gear, by participating in the “Celebrate Earth Day” Rivals event set on the picturesque rolling hills of Virginia International Raceway. The event ends April 26th.
Obsidian’s Grounded Celebrates Earth Day with Art Contest and T-Shirt Sales Benefiting Captain Planet Foundation!
For Earth Day, Grounded hosted the #FrankenArtContest benefitting the Captain Planet Foundation! During this event, we asked our community to create a design worthy of being printed on a t-shirt using the in-game Frankenline. The finalists are announced, and the winners’ voting will happen live at PAX at the Main Theater and on Twitch! Everyone can tune in on April 23 at 10 a.m. PDT/1 p.m. EDT to watch the vote and check out upcoming unreleased content to the game. Which design will be placed on a t-shirt and sold in our store, with proceeds going to the Captain Planet Foundation? Check out the PAX panel live to find out! Learn more about the contest and read the rules here. Buy your Grounded Gear here!
Age of Empires Honors the History of Earth Day
Over the last few decades, sustainability has become a relevant topic discussed across the globe. An urgency to protect the world’s resources, habitats and ecosystems has rapidly increased as the impacts of global climate change and finite resources become more noticeable with each passing day. International Mother Earth Day was established as a day to recognize, educate and urge people to act, protect, and respect the nature surrounding them. Learn more about International Mother Earth Day with Age of Empires as they explore how the world is standing united to save our planet.
Microsoft Casual Games Celebrates Earth’s Beauty
This month we celebrate our vast and unique planet, and those who work to care for and sustain its health and beauty for generations to enjoy. Experience panoramas of our world through the brilliant brush strokes of artists who have captured its beauty in the newest Microsoft Jigsaw collection – Earth on Canvas. Click here for collection details. To learn more about Microsoft’s commitment to Sustainability and how you can contribute through your own conservation efforts, click here.
Xbox Honors Earth Day with a New Gamerpic, Profile Theme, and Avatar Items!
In partnership with the Sustainability team at Xbox, we’re introducing a new gamerpic, profile themes, and avatar items! The gamerpic and profile theme will be available on console and the Xbox PC app. The profile theme and gamerpic will be visible on all platforms (including mobile and Game Bar), but gamers can change the profile theme on the console and the Xbox app on PC. Get your avatar items here.
We invite you to join us on our continued journey and learn more about Xbox’s sustainability efforts at our all-new Sustainability Hub.
This Earth Day we’re excited to announce several updates to the Ethical Shopping experience on Microsoft Bing.
We first released this experience last year in the UK, and today are excited to announce we’ve expanded to more places – the US and Canada in English.
As a reminder, the hub provides fashion customers with categories like eco-friendly, upcycled, or fair-trade fashion, as well as providing all-up ratings for how ethical a given brand is, where possible. These ratings, powered by Good on You®, are an average of the scores for each three focal areas: people, planet, and animals.
Our goal from the beginning was to help our users do their part on combatting the environmental issues of today, and bringing these ratings and purchase options to more customers around the world helps us achieve this.
We’ve also updated the design of the listings on the Shopping results page, in light of research that underscored users’ need for increased visibility into sustainability claims. For example, hover over a listing, and you’ll see not only the overall brand rating for the brand, but the eco-friendly criteria it performs well on. This allows you to easily shop in alignment with your values – if a product being vegan is most important to you, for example, or if its not being recycled is a deal-breaker.
Finally, we’ve expanded the experience to show up when you search relevant queries on Bing.com. This ensures you can find your way to the Ethical Shopping hub no matter where you are in the Bing ecosystem, from within the Shopping tab or if something sparks your curiosity while you’re searching in general.
We hope you’re as excited by these updates as we are, and hope you find they help you shop with purpose. We look forward to bringing this experience to more markets and more brands soon.
One of the biggest topics of discussion at COP26, the global climate conference held in November 2021, was how a lack of reliable and consistent measurement hampers progress on the path to Net Zero. I have been reflecting on this issue and, on this Earth Day, I would like to provide an update on how we are measuring energy and water use at our datacenters to improve sustainability across the Azure Cloud.
Today, we’re sharing an important update on how Microsoft, and our datacenters, are helping to solve our part of this measurement challenge.
While the environmental goals are similar, each industry has unique challenges in measuring its carbon emissions to build its sustainability strategy. It’s one of the key reasons we, together with ClimateWorks Foundation and 20 other leading organizations, launched the Carbon Call. It’s also why we developed Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability, an Azure-based platform that allows organizations to combine disparate data sources into one place and help provide insights into how to improve their sustainability approaches.
You’ve told us just how important measuring energy and water consumption from our datacenters is in taking sustainability into account for commercial decisions. Below you will see, for the first time, our datacenter PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) and WUE (Water Usage Effectiveness) metrics. To address these capabilities, we set design goals—our theoretical estimates of the most efficient we can operate our datacenters—and ensure we have measurements of our actual efficiencies. These targets can vary between datacenter generations and usage; for instance, newer datacenter generations as well as datacenters operating at peak utilization are more efficient. We track these statistics at a global level and by our operating geographies—Americas, Asia Pacific, and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa).
Understanding Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE)
PUE is an industry metric that measures how efficiently a datacenter consumes and uses the energy that powers the datacenter, including the operation of systems like powering, cooling, and operating the servers, data networks and lights. The closer the PUE number is to “1,” the more efficient the use of energy.
While local environment and infrastructure can affect how PUE is calculated, there are also slight variations across providers. Here’s the simplest way to think about PUE.
We design and build our datacenters toward the optimum PUE figure. We can also predict, with a high degree of accuracy, that optimum PUE figure. As we constantly innovate, we factor these changes into our datacenter designs to get as close to “1” as feasible. Our newest generation of datacenters have a design PUE of 1.12 and, with each new generation, we strive to become even more efficient. In the chart below, the blue bars show our estimated, or designed, PUE figures, while the grey bars indicate our actual PUE figures. As you can see, in Asia Pacific our actual PUE is higher; that’s due in part to higher ambient temperatures in the region which necessitates additional cooling.
In almost every region, our actual operating PUE is more efficient than our designs.
Understanding Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE)
Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) is another key metric relating to the efficient and sustainable operations of our datacenters and is a crucial aspect as we work towards our commitment to be water positive by 2030.
WUE is calculated by dividing the number of liters of water used for humidification and cooling by the total annual amount of power (measured in kWh) needed to operate our datacenter IT equipment.
Like PUE, there are variables that can impact WUE—many of which relate to the location of the datacenter. Humid locations often have more atmospheric water, while arid locations have very little. Datacenters in colder parts of the world, like Sweden and Finland operate in naturally cooler environments so require less water for cooling. Our datacenter designs minimize water use. The chart below shows (in blue) our estimated or designed WUE figure, and in grey, our actual WUE figure. Again, Asia Pacific is higher due to higher ambient temperatures and as a result the need in some places for water-cooled chillers.
We continue to integrate our standards in water reduction technologies such as those in our Phoenix, Arizona datacenter where we use direct outside air most of the year to cool servers. We otherwise cool through direct evaporation that requires a fraction of the water compared to other, conventional water-based cooling systems such as water-cooled chillers.
Furthermore, by powering our datacenter with power from the Sun Streams 2 Solar Project owned by local partner, Longroad Energy, we’re displacing the water needed in the traditional electricity generation process and expect to save 356 million liters of water annually.
Scope 3 and supply chain
As we shared in March with our annual sustainability report, we made good progress on a number of our goals. Across the company’s operations, we saw an overall reduction in our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions of about 17 percent year over year, through our purchasing of renewable energy. At the same time, we also saw a rise in our Scope 3 emissions, which increased about 23 percent year over year.
We know that Scope 3 emissions (representing the total emissions across a company’s entire value chain) are the most difficult to control and reduce, because we can often only influence change. We know this is a long-term effort and this year we have increased our focus on operational discipline that is rooted in reliable data. We’ve also been working with partners across the industry, including Infrastructure Masons on carbon transparency within the datacenter supply chain, and will have exciting news to share at the Datacloud Global Congress on April 25 to 27.
Learn more
We know just how crucial data transparency and consistency are in helping our customers make the correct choices for their business, and hope that today’s announcement on our PUE and WUE data will be an important step forward in informing decisions about their sustainability strategies.
To learn more about our datacenter operations and commitments in action today, you can visit:
So much has happened to the world at large over the past two and a half years and that is reflected heavily in our media and entertainment industry. The response to the pandemic, dramatic changes to global weather, and the rise again of geopolitical conflicts have all driven the acceleration of change in media and entertainment as we struggled to work and live in new ways.
But in many ways, this is nothing new. The media and entertainment industry are the earliest adopters of digital advancements. We continue to push the boundaries of physical and digital environments and produce volumes of content in new ways. It also doesn’t have a choice; it must change as consumers have upped their expectations as technology has evolved and creators and producers competing for consumer time are no longer limited to traditional media.
At this year’s National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference, Microsoft is reinvesting in our commitment to the media and entertainment industry. At our booth #W3017 located in the new West Hall, Las Vegas Convention Center, we’re excited to showcase how we are empowering the future of creativity, content, experiences, and technology through our investments in partnerships, experiences, and products.
Reimagine content creation with anytime collaboration and creativity
The demand for content continues to grow. So does the demand for creative and production staff: more content with less budget, increased output with the same staff, higher quality, you name it. These demands are putting stress on ways of working, workflows, and production systems developed over the decades.
In our booth, partner Avid will be showcasing Avid Edit On Demand solution that provides a full virtual post-production environment in the cloud—complete with cloud-optimized media composer software and Avid NEXIS storage—making it easy to scale teams and ramp up new projects at a moment’s notice. With a simple subscription, team members can work and collaborate from anywhere in a fully configured secure environment.
We’re excited to highlight Evertz’s BRAVO Studio virtual production solution powered by Microsoft Azure that allows content creators to tell their stories from anywhere. BRAVO Studio delivers a professionally produced, high-quality live experience for any audience on any platform.
Speaking of content creation, come to our booth #W3017 to see our live streaming podcast studio. You’ll have the chance to see our technology live and in action as we interview industry thought leaders, partners, and customers. In partnership with Discovered, join us with entertainer, digital brand evangelist, and host of Discovered.tv Podcast, Taylor Mosby.
Redefine content delivery for broadcasting and live events
As of August 2021, 84 percent of United States consumers said they were spending more time on online entertainment in the home and less time on in-person entertainment outside it.1 Even when the pandemic subsides in a meaningful way, it will likely leave a mark on behaviors for some time to come. The industry has proven itself to be resilient with remote broadcasts, virtual productions, streaming platforms launched, and sporting events won, all during a very disruptive time in history.
During NAB, attendees can see firsthand how Microsoft Digital Experience solution brings together proven technology from partners Epiphan, Disguise, Evertz, Blackmagic, Lumen, Aoto, and Mediakind in scalable on-demand services that move the entire live stream process offsite and into the cloud, enabling remote teams to work together in real-time. It leverages Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights to deliver rich insights analytics for event measurement hand feedback in a secure environment.
Explore this NAB session, Live Production in the Cloud, where our Microsoft team shares how technology enables distributed teams to produce digital experiences (for example, concerts, e-sports) through a cloud-based solution. This solution reduces the carbon footprint needed to manage events, enables companies to enter the space with a low investment footprint, and brings expertise together from wherever they are, rather than relying on them to travel to locations. In this session, we will review, demonstrate, and discuss how we can build a distributed broadcast setup to support remote or work-from-home operations that can also take advantage of 5G.
In honor of the 2022 professional football draft, we’re also showcasing our latest augmented reality (AR) technology using Microsoft HoloLens to produce a sports arena digital twin that can help satisfy key sports stadium requirements, such as health and safety, wayfinding, space management, and facilities management. Great examples of how event venues can improve efficiency, support preventative maintenance, and manage the safety of your business.
Our partner MediaKind announced an extension to our strategic partnership to accelerate video digital transformation. This extended partnership significantly increases the integration and optimization of MediaKind and Microsoft products, platforms, and cloud capabilities within a sustainable framework. It enables MediaKind to provide new opportunities for video content owners, broadcasters, operators, and enterprises to accelerate their video digital transformation. This new collaboration has been designed to significantly enhance the integration and optimization of both companies’ products, platforms, and cloud capabilities, to enable its respective customers in media and entertainment—and beyond—to drive new levels of growth within the media industry. In our booth, Mediakind will be highlighting their solution, Engage, a live, end-to-end, direct-to-consumer streaming solution that showcases a personalized, broadcast-quality, and reliable media experience.
Additionally, our partner Blackbird will be showcasing how their solution provides professional video editing in a browser that allows media organizations to drive efficiencies across their organization with cloud-native video editing anywhere, publishing everywhere, and helping media organizations be first to market with quality content.
Enable next-gen experiences with data and AI
Every organization wants to be more data-driven and this is especially true for media and entertainment companies, which have new requirements for customer data due to the industry’s shift to direct-to-consumer. Today, businesses must not only understand their clients better, but they need data to decide what content to produce, what media to acquire for their streaming platforms, how to sell in non-linear ways, and more. Data is equally important to the operational side of the business, whether it’s improvements to how we managed content at scale through metadata or empowering media operations with great knowledge of the entire delivery pipeline, data intrinsically drives forward all aspects of the modern media ecosystem.
On Tuesday, April 26, 2022, our own Andy Beach, Chief Technology Officer of Media and Entertainment, will give a talk on the role of media metadata in modern data-driven workflows. He will talk about how we have worked with customers to change the way they think about the creation of metadata, and how to use it to improve their own operational efficiencies while continuing to evolve into new ways for customers to experience their content.
The Microsoft Customer Experience Platform helps organizations unlock the power of consumer data to deliver personalized experiences and create raving fans. We’re eager to demonstrate how this complete marketing stack helps media organizations accelerate their business growth and deepen customer connections. At NAB, we’ll showcase how it can deliver connected experiences from awareness to purchase that feel human and real whether through digital ads, website, content, or conversations.
With a 360-degree view of customers and rich out-of-the-box insights, organizations can understand and predict customer intent to deliver the right content at the right channel and at the right moment. Your organization will be able to win more hearts and minds in an omnichannel world by personalizing every interaction in real-time using AI-orchestrated journeys. In a privacy-first landscape, ensure full control of customer data and protect an organization’s brand reputation with unmatched data governance and privacy.
Using customer insights and AI technology will continue to have a transformative impact on the media industry. The use of data, automation, and AI technologies (for example, voice recognition) will help to deepen fan and audience engagement through personalized, connected, and relevant experiences.
Attendees can also discover how speech translation, part of Microsoft Azure Cognitive Services, can help media organizations add accessible and localized content. Grab some time to learn about Azure’s text-to-speech and custom neural voice services, and how a media organization can reach a broader and more diverse audience with natural sounding voices.
Our partner PWC will be showing off new solutions they have been jointly developing with Telestream and Datazoom on Microsoft Azure to provide video observability for any over-the-top (OTT) or live video platform. This solution brings together data telemetry from across the media pipeline to deliver end-to-end quality of service (QoS) and quality of experience (QoE) for real-time analytics in network operations, support, and improved video playback experience.
Innovate with gaming technology
Media organizations can unlock new revenue streams by engaging audiences through immersive and connected experiences that build a community around content and digital good. I recommend seeing our NAB session, Using Real-Time Data to Drive Engagement and Build Community, where the Microsoft team will discuss LiveOps techniques developed by the gaming (video game) industry when it was faced with similar challenges of audience fragmentation and personalization, and how those techniques can be selectively applied to streaming media.
As media streaming has become increasingly fragmented, engaging with viewers and fans in a personalized way is critical to growth. At the same time, viewers’ expectations for media are rapidly shifting, as they demand more information, control, and interaction with their streaming services. In our booth, Microsoft and our partners will explore how Microsoft Azure PlayFab for Media LiveOps can be used by media companies and content owners to drive increased engagement and monetization opportunities with the gamification of the user experience. We’re excited to explore how media companies can leverage first-party data to better understand their users and react in real-time with targeted programming, promotions, and user experiences.
Looking ahead to the future
As exciting as the past few months have been, I know we’ve only taken the first few steps to address the challenges in media and entertainment that we have tried solving. I believe the work that we are doing now with great people and fantastic partners from across the industry will open the door to new ways that we’re only beginning to imagine.
In that spirit, I look forward to sharing more news with you at NAB as we continue to push the boundaries of what technology can do to maximize collaboration and productivity, streamline operations, enable insights-driven decision-making, deliver engaging customer experiences, and accelerate innovation and business growth. At NAB 2022 , we’ll share news of exciting partnerships and, hopefully, have a chance to connect with many of you.
We’re removing limits on how and where you work with Windows 11 and Windows 365. Together, they bring the power of Azure computing to Windows computers.
Today, we’re introducing new capabilities to help customers protect identities, devices, applications, and data holistically across clouds. In this video, Charlie Bell and Vasu Jakkal share why a multi-cloud, multi-platform security approach is critical for every business today.
What a treat chatting with the amazing Charlie Bell. I love that Charlie and I have the same vision – a safer, more secure digital world for all. Charlie’s brilliance, compassion and empathy inspire me every day and I am so grateful to have him as a partner on this incredible security journey as we build multi cloud and multi platform capabilities. We’re lucky to have him here in the trenches with us, building a better world.
We’re committed to taking a principled approach to our app stores, as we work to promote a more open app market that better serves users and creators alike.
https://lnkd.in/e6hHs977 Governments around the world are moving forward with laws to promote competition in app markets. We’re announcing a new set of Open App Store principles to proactively adapt to legislation being considered. We have developed these principles in part to address Microsoft’s growing role and responsibility as we start the process of seeking regulatory approval for our acquisition of Activision Blizzard in capitals around the world.
As a school leader, many difficult choices fall on your shoulders, and building a strong peer network for support can be a challenge. The good news is that you’re never truly alone but are part of a global community of leaders facing similar challenges and working to find solutions. It’s just a matter of uncovering them.
We’d like to make that easier, so Microsoft Education has created a weekly podcast, Leading Innovation, that brings together school leaders to discuss what we’re thinking, saying, and doing to guide our schools. Our podcast will help give voice to leaders through a platform that’s ideal for sharing challenges and triumphs, and will focus on the small, actionable steps leaders can take now to effectively work toward larger goals.
Meet our hosts, then read below to learn more about what’s upcoming and how to listen:
Jamie Trujillo Jamie is a 20-year veteran of the technology industry. He serves as the Chief Information Officer for GOAL Academy, where he is directly responsible for leading technology efforts and enabling digital transformation across the school—with a passion to prepare students for a life centered around technology.
Frank Chiappone Frank is a Sr. Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft with a focus on school leaders and IT audiences. He loves to go deep on how institutions undertake digital transformation, the challenges they face in implementing and driving technology adoption in the classroom, and how Microsoft can best deliver innovation to help institutions around the world enable student success.
Dina Ghobashy Dina currently champions schoolwide education transformation and manages school leader strategy and programs at Microsoft. Dina possesses a broad background in technology and its effective application to transform teaching and learning. She is passionate about achieving positive social impact through education and she sees technology as a catalyst for realizing this vision.
Episodes of Leading Innovation air on Mondays and feature real-world educators sharing insights, strategies, and ideas about what’s working in their schools and what’s not. From tackling “innovation fatigue”—the overwhelm and exhaustion tied to rapid technology adoption in the classroom—to overcoming budget limitations, here’s a peek at the discussions from some of our recent episodes:
What Every School Leader Needs to Know About Managing Innovation Fatigue In the premiere episode of Leading Innovation, we kick things off with a discussion about the need for school leaders to share ideas and strategies. Then, we dive into the challenge of managing the “innovation fatigue” that is being felt in school and classroom environments. Find out how some school leaders are using data to rebalance school priorities and reduce teacher burnout while maximizing student achievement.
The New School Leadership Challenge: Inspiring and Energizing Teachers Without Adding to Their Stress This episode tackles a challenge that has risen to the very top of every school leader’s priority list: talent management. As teaching becomes more demanding and the pool of talent shrinks, how do leaders inspire and energize teachers without becoming a source of the stress that is burning them out? Hint: Open communication is key.
How School Leaders Can Connect With Teachers and Students When It Doesn’t Matter… So We Can Connect With Them When It Does We all know that meaningful connections between administrators and teachers are required for effective learning, but the pandemic disrupted the traditional face-to-face connections educators rely on in schools. As our podcast guest, instructional coach Kimberly Moyer, explains, “We need to continually look for creative ways to build those bridges to our students. It doesn’t matter if it’s face to face or using technology; it’s all about relationships.” Tune in to this episode for techniques to connect with teachers and students when the stakes are low—including through resources such as Microsoft Teams and the Microsoft Showcase School program—to maintain those critical connections when it counts most.
How Exceptional School Leaders Create Cultures That Work Around Budget and Resource Constraints For many schools and school leaders, budget constraints and limited resources are the big barriers to greater student performance. In this episode we talk with a school leader who transcended extreme budget limitations, using solutions such as free Microsoft 365 Education A1 licenses, to create a model school that attracted interest from around the globe. Our guest, Paramjeet Kaur Dhillon, the Founder Principal of Kamla Nehru Public School in Phagwara, India, offers empowering insights: “When it comes to finances, I have budget constraints. But when it comes to human resources, we are bountiful. Our resources are the culture of the school. Our resources are the attitude which we possess. Our resource is the will to change the world of our students.”
Upcoming episodes will explore topics including why technology hasn’t disrupted education as predicted, how to find inspiration when you aren’t inspired, and how to cultivate and measure culture within a school.
Oxnam says that tech fuels everything she does, but even she was surprised at how dramatically her life changed with a new-to-her operating system.
“The first thing about Windows 11 that stood out to me was how easy it was to set up. In five minutes, I had all of my programs set up. I even was able to transfer over all of my tabs and bookmarks and favorite things to Microsoft Edge,” Oxnam says. “This was amazing given how many different platforms I have to log into. To have it ready and customized for me right from the get-go was a game changer. And then beyond that, it was so intuitive to pick up.”
She was able to quickly figure out features she now uses daily, such as Snap Assist, multiple desktops, widgets and search from Start.
“Everything was super easy to do without having to do a ton of research, which was extremely convenient and meant that I could just get to work right from the beginning,” she says. “I need to be able to quickly export things and get them turned in right before the deadline, because I need every minute.”
She marveled at how much easier it was to collaborate in real-time. For example, she constantly works on Excel files with a group of five. It’s usually a massive financial spreadsheet that entails creating new models projected out five years, editing new data and equations. Before she switched to Windows 11, they couldn’t all work on the document at the same time – since statistical models’ numbers change constantly – so they would have to assign people different days to work on it. But that changed once she was using Windows 11.
“And all of a sudden, I was on the same document as everyone else working in real time, everything was updating super-fast. I could see the exact numbers that were being plugged in,” she says. “We could comment, we could realize faster ways to do things. We didn’t have to fix a ton of people’s mistakes.”
Charlotte Oxnam
As she’s been able to streamline her workflow, she’s also carrying one less device. Previously she had to go back and forth between a MacBook Air and an iPad. But now, those devices are gathering dust on a shelf while she uses her Windows 11 laptop daily, even converting some of her housemates – mostly engineers – to switch to PCs after seeing how easy it was for her to transfer her work and school life onto the new platform.
Having a touch screen on her main device has really simplified her life, she says.
“I just tap on the thing I want, and it takes me to it. It’s as easy as that. Or zoom in the way we do on our phones,” says Oxnam, who loves how much easier it is to edit images and work on content without thinking about a mouse or even a trackpad. “I just pinch my fingers because that’s intuitively what we’ve learned to do.”
Oxnam is hopeful for the future, and how the next generation’s shopping experience will be a much more positive one than what she and others grew up with. The blog will continue to exist, as she wants to make sure the team doesn’t get too insular and turn into an echo chamber. But their focus is to stay true to representing every plus-size woman and advocate for them. To have these spaces exist is already proving valuable to people who have found them.
“We’ve already had at least a couple dozen people directly reach out and tell us, ‘This is the community I’ve been searching for. This is my space. I’ve finally found it. Thank you for making it,’” Oxnam says. “Our first step in making the world a more inclusive space is fashion, but I think it’s a bigger conversation of how we can create things that are more accessible and enjoyable, that make life better in different ways. And I think technology is at the heart of everything we’ll do going forward that can pull that off.”
