Alibaba Cloud analyses carbon footprint for the Olympic Esports Week
Author: Isha Jain
Alibaba Cloud has announced that its AI-driven sustainability solution, Energy Expert, has been trialled to measure and analyse carbon emissions from temporary construction built to host the first Olympic Esports Week, generating data-driven insights on the choice of materials and equipment. The tool has been deployed through its partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The company deployed Energy Expert to measure and analyse the carbon emissions of the event’s temporary construction. A series of metrics including the impact of energy consumption, waste management, signage and decoration were assessed. This software-as-a-service tool was used by the local organising committee to compare the relative impacts of several types of materials and equipment.
Energy Expert allows event organisers to identify the sources of the carbon emissions from venue construction and operation, quantify the carbon footprint generated by a venue and visualise a venue’s sustainability performance via an integrated dashboard and online reports.
According to the solution, the carbon footprint of temporary construction for the Olympic Esports Week 2023 is estimated at 274 tons CO₂e, after replacing 60% of printed signage with digital alternatives which led to 14 tons CO₂e of CO₂ emission reductions, as well as reusing 50% of carpets after the event that would slash emissions further by 10 tons CO₂e.
“We are always looking for ways to reduce our impact on the environment, and we’re pleased to work with Alibaba Cloud to apply cutting-edge technologies to measure carbon emissions so we can continue to make a difference,” says Vincent Pereira, Head of Virtual Sport, IOC Sports Department.
“We have been supporting the IOC’s digital transformation of the Olympics since Tokyo 2020, and it has been an honour to be part of this latest, historic milestone for virtual sport. Sustainability is one of the priorities for our sports innovation roadmap. As the sports industry continues to evolve, we’re passionate about providing organisations with timely data, actionable insights and energy-saving recommendations that make positive and tangible impacts,” says Selina Yuan, President of International Business, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence.
The week marks the collaboration between the IOC and Alibaba on digital transformation and is Alibaba’s first large-scale international project to tackle carbon emissions within the esports industry.
The esports industry has a growing environmental impact as the sport becomes more mainstream. Industry analysis estimates that in 2022 a single esports team could create as much as 100 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. Individual consumption is also growing as 40% of the global population now play video games, according to industry analyst firm, DFC Intelligence, meaning that there’s a significant impact to be addressed.
