Presentation at the AI Champions BW event on how digital innovations and disruptive technologies can act as key enablers for climate action. Learn more about the interlinkages between the digital and green transformation and the EU programs (i.e. European Green Digital Coalition) that work with industry, SMEs, startups, academia, cities and citizens to move towards becoming carbon neutral.

1. Enabling the Digital and Green
Transformation
Dr. Björn-Sören Gigler
Senior Digital Innovation Specialist
Digital Transformation, DG CONNECT
Event: KI Champions BW July 26, 2021

2. Digital as an Enabler for the Green Transformation

3. Intersection between Green and Digital Transformation
• Paris Agreement: need for innovations and technology pull and push
• Green and Digital transformation are taking place at the same time and are
closely intertwined with each other
• Digital innovations (AI, Blockchain, IoT, supercomputing) provide
unprecedented opportunities to enhance sustainability of economy & society
• Radical new thinking and business models are required- Business as usual will
not be sufficient to address the climate crisis
• Getting innovations out of the lab into the market- Commercialization of digital
clean tech solutions is an important challenge for Europe
• Scale-up of clean tech innovations: 2 valleys of death. Lack of early-stage
financing and growth financing- most innovative startups leave Europe

4. ICT carbon footprint: Currently ICT responsible for ~ 3% of total
(CO2e) emissions and rising electronics waste. Worse case scenarios
points to 14% of total emissions by 2040. With effective Green ICT
measures we can keep under 5%.
Sustainable Digital
Technologies
Climate Neutral and highly
energy efficient datacentres
by 2030: review JRC’s CoC,
the Energy Efficiency
Directive and the Taxonomy
Regulation
Climate neutral electronic
communications by 2030:
 Transparency measures
 Administrative
incentives for green
deployment
Circular Electronics
Initiative: Better durability,
reparability, refurbishment,
recycling. “Right to repair”
for consumers.
Low power processors and software/AI:
investing in new ultra-low-power

5. Green Digital Coalition to be launched in March at DD4, Porto.
Committed ICT stakeholders + NGOs to develop jointly consistent and
comparable calculators of digital enablement.
Digital contribution to environment & climate
Digital product passport:
Data for circular business models,
competitiveness, resilience
Destination Earth /
digital twins: High
Performance Computing,
AI for better anticipation
of extreme events
prediction, climate
modelling.
Smart mobility: reduction of
transport emissions up to
37%; smart buildings with
emissions reduction by 17%;
Digital contribution: reduction by
15%-20% of total emissions (CO2e)
with deployment of current
technology. New, low-power digital
technologies and innovations will
contribute further.

6. Green Digital Transformation Declaration
https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/eu-countries-commit-
leading-green-digital-transformation
Digital Day- March 19, 2021

7. European Green Digital Coalition
Source: Ilias Iakovidis
With the signature of the Declaration, the CEOs committed on behalf of their
companies to take action in the following areas:
•Investing in the development and deployment of green digital
solutions with significant energy and material efficiency that achieve a
net positive impact in a wide range of sectors.
•Developing methods and tools to measure the net impact of green
digital technologies on the environment and climate by joining forces
with NGOs and relevant expert organizations.
•Co-creating, with representatives of others sectors,
recommendations and guidelines for green digital transformation
of these sectors that benefits environment, society and economy.
https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/european-green-
digital-coalition

8. European
Green
Digital
Coalition

9. Digital Clean Tech Investment Initiative
• Digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence, IoT and blockchain are
playing an increasingly critical role for climate change mitigation and
adaptation across multiple sectors
• Enabling role of digital technologies: enable reduction of between 10-15% of
GHG emissions by 2030
• Underinvestment in green tech SMEs and startups due to their high-risk
profiles, capital intensity, lack of collateral and long-term financing needs
• Annual investment gap for digital cleantech of €6 billion per year in Europe
(total annual investment $16 billion globally, with North America ($10 bill)
• EU-SME Strategy for a Sustainable & Digital Europe: Digital Clean Tech
Investment Program to pool resources from EU, MS, EIB/EIF and NPBs

10. • Address the existing investment gap for digital clean technologies in Europe
• Key priority for InvestEU Program: support strategic digital technologies that
support climate change mitigation and adaption, reduce GHG emissions and
enhance the circularity of the economy
• Digital Clean Tech Investment Initiative to pool EU resources with funding
from Member States (RRF), IFIS (EIB, EBRD, IFC); National Promotional Banks
and private investors.
• Enhance the access to equity and growth finance for innovative, digital
startups and SMEs that develop and adopt digital clean technologies
• Investment platform to facilitate co-investment and better link innovators with
investors EU funding
• Advisory services to support SMEs and startups to develop bankable projects
InvestEU-
Digital and Green

11. European Parliament Pilot Project
The call for tenders for the European Parliament Pilot project that will support the
work of the European Green Digital Coalition.
The project will promote the participation of experts from academia and NGOs,
representatives of local authorities, and actors from priority sectors such as
energy, transport, construction, agriculture and manufacturing. In this context,
the tenderer will organize a consultation and coordinate the dissemination
across the EU. A high-level event will follow in 2022, including a Green Digital
Award ceremony.

12. Contact us:
12
• Ilias Iakovidis, Advisor, Digital and Green Transformation
Ilias.Iakovidis@ec.europa.eu
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilias-iakovidis-965b863/
• Bjorn-Soren Gigler, Senior Digital Innovation Specialist
Bjorn-Soren.GIGLER@ec.europa.eu
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bjorn-soren-gigler-phd-19648917/
• Anna De Marchi, Digital and Green Research Assistant
Anna.De-Marchi@ec.europa.eu