Paris Olympics Collaborates With Alibaba's Energy Expert to Reduce Venue's Carbon Emissions

By Thea Felicity

Jul 15 2024, 12:25 PM EDT

General view of the Eiffel Tower Stadium the venue of beach volleyball events ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 13, 2024 in Paris, France. Maja Hitij/Getty Images

The upcoming Paris Olympics will be pioneering sustainability efforts with the adoption of Alibaba's AI-powered energy-saving tool to drastically reduce venue emissions.

SCMP reported that Alibaba Group Holding announced on Monday, July 15, that its Energy Expert will analyze and optimize power usage across 35 locations throughout Paris during the Games, scheduled from July 26 to August 11.

By using advanced AI models from Alibaba's cloud unit, Energy Expert will generate venue-specific forecasts and recommendations based on real-time power consumption data. Therefore, enhancing energy efficiency and minimizing wastage during high-profile sporting event.

William Xiong, vice-president of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, emphasized that the Energy Expert tool, launched in 2022 and used by over 3,000 enterprises globally, is effective in tackling sustainability issues in international sports.

Paris Olympics Carbon Emissions

Olympics, like previous editions, are expected to generate massive emissions, with previous summer Games emitting an average of 3.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Now, the Paris Olympics aims to reduce event-related emissions by half and offset unavoidable emissions through projects. These include reforestation, forest preservation, and renewable energy, making it the "greenest" in Olympic history, according to the World Economic Forum.

This effort is accompanied by plans to use existing or temporary venues for 95% of competitions and 100% renewable energy, as well as biofuel, hydrogen, and batteries to minimize the use of diesel generators.

In addition to current data, Alibaba plans to take advantage of insights from past Games, including London 2012, Pyeongchang 2018, and Tokyo 2020, to offer a comprehensive analysis of energy consumption trends.

For Alibaba, it's a win-win situation, as the Energy Expert tool supports the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) vision for more sustainable Olympic Games while also aligning with Alibaba's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.