January 2025 |

technologymagazine.com

DIGITAL
TRANSFORMATION
Industry 4.0 in
Action: Porsche’s
Production Masterclass

CYBERSECURITY
Race to Shield Data From
Tomorrow's Quantum
Code-Breakers

TECHNOLOGY
CONSULTANTS

AWS
RE:INVENT:
SPOTLIGHTS AI
INNOVATION
As AWS CEO MATT GARMAN unveils Amazon's Nova models,
we highlight Amazon’s vision for the future of AI

ELEA DATA CENTERS UIPATH SERVICENOW SNOWFLAKE ZOOM

CONNECTING
THE WORLD’S
TECHNOLOGY
LEADERS
14-15 MAY 2025
155 BISHOPSGATE, LONDON

SUPER EARLY BIRD TICKETS

1500+ 40+ 100s

In-Person & Influential Networking
Virtual Speakers Opportunities
Attendees

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

CONNECTING
THE WORLD’S
CLOUD & 5G
LEADERS
4 FEBRUARY 2025
VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

GET YOUR FREE VIRTUAL TICKET

1000+ 20+ 100s

Virtual Influential Networking
Attendees Speakers Opportunities

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

 FOREWORD

From Experimentation to
Value: The Year AI Grows Up

A
fter two years of rapid AI adoption and
experimentation, 2025 marks a turning
point for enterprise technology.
If 2023 was our year of learning and 2024 saw us
racing to experiment with AI’s possibilities, 2025
promises to be the year when AI truly proves its worth
in the enterprise. The conversations in boardrooms
have shifted from "Can we do this?" to "How do we
do this right?" It's a subtle but crucial evolution that
“2025 promises marks the technology's coming of age.
As we highlight this month, some of the key
to be the year themes shaping our technological landscape will be:

when AI truly • Agentic AI systems will move from hype to

proves its worth reality, with autonomous decision-making

in the enterprise” •
becoming commonplace
The emergence of ‘AI-native’ employees is
reshaping workplace expectations, pushing
organisations to fully embrace AI integration
• Enterprise focus shifts from proving technical
feasibility to demonstrating measurable
business value, with emphasis on data
quality and governance

This first issue of 2025 explores how organisations

are navigating these changes, as we witness AI finally
coming of age in the enterprise world.

MARCUS LAW

TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE
Marcus Law
IS PUBLISHED BY
CONTACT ME

© 2025 | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

technologymagazine.com 7
 CONTENTS
12 PEOPLE MOVES
Executive moves this month 80
16 T
 OP 10
Technology Consultants

34 ABU DHABI
GOVERNMENT
Daniel Dines,
Navigating GCC Procurement: CEO,
The future of government strategy UiPath

50 TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY
Edge adoption accelerates as
enterprises seek lower latency 64
64 ELEA DATA CENTERS
Sustainable data centre
leaders in Brazil

80 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
IN TECHNOLOGY
Daniel Dines: The developer
reshaping enterprise automation

16

TECHNOLOGY
CONSULTANTS

8 January 2025
 JANUARY 2025

124

Matt Garman,
CEO,
AWS

90 AI & ML
ServiceNow, Snowflake & Zoom: 114
2025 to see Gen AI value shift

106 STATISTICS
Enterprise Applications: CX

108 BIG PICTURE

Digital Transformation: Industry 4.0

110 INNOVATION GROUP

Committed to an
insurance revolution
140
114 RULES & REGS
Cybersecurity: PQC

124 DATA & ANALYTICS

AWS re:Invent: Nova models
showcase Amazon’s AI strategy

140 COMPANY SPOTLIGHT

Sustainability: CSR

technologymagazine.com 9
MAGAZINE | WEB | EVENTS | REPORTS | DATA

Place Your Business in Front of

with an In-depth Executive Interview.

Are You The Next Cover Star?

Get Connected
 THOMAS BLOOD
COMMERCIAL SECTOR
SUSTAINABILITY
LEADER, EMEA
AWS
 26
PEOPLE MOVES
XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX

PEOPLE MO
26%
COMMON ESG REPORTING
FRAMEWORKS
• The Task Force on Climate-Related
Financial Disclosures (TCFD)

• The International Integrated

Reporting Council (IIRC)
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

$100 26%
Technology Magazine
• The Global Reporting highlights
Initiative (GRI) the latest executive
appointments and departures that are set to drive
innovation and
• The Climate business
Disclosure success
Standards
XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX
WRITTEN BY: Disclosure
• The Climate MARCUS LAWStandards XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX
Board (CDSB) XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX

PAULA PANARRA
BUILDING TRUST IN ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIONS
JOB FROM: GENERAL MANAGER,
IBERIA AT AVANADE
The Carbon Trust stands This entity bestows towards more
JOBas
TO: GENERALinstitution,
a respected MANAGER, valuable knowledge and and transitioning towards
UKasAND
serving IRELAND
a reliable proficiency to facilitate more sustainable
AT AVANADE
compass for attaining net- the comprehension and methodologies.
Avanade,
zero carbon
a Microsoft
emissions.
solutionsIt execution of The Carbon Trust stands
provider,
extendshasits
appointed
assistance Paula
to Panarranet zero strategies. as a respected institution,
as General
businesses,
Manager
governments,
for the UK and comprehension and serving as a reliable
Ireland.
andPaula joins fromaiding
organisations, her role execution of net zero compass for attaining net-
as Avanade’s
them in theGeneral
establishment
Manager for strategies. zero carbon emissions. It
Iberia,
andwhich
achievement
she has held “Avanade truly stands
of since April Prioritising sustainability extends its assistance to
2024.their
Shecarbon
Microsoft
previously
objectives.
reduction
spent 15 years atand environmental
in senior positions, including
out in today’s landscape
stewardship, the Carbon
businesses, governments,
and organisations, aiding
General Originating
Manager of with
Microsoft
a Portugal. with its commitment to
Trust plays a pivotal role in them in the establishment
The appointment
distinct mission
Microsoft
decarbonization,
comes
services market
as the
to propel
it was
purposeful innovation
confronting the challenges
is projectedof climate change by aiding
and achievement of
their carbon strategies.
to grow
inaugurated
from $125underbillion the backed by a deep-
in FY24 to diverse stakeholders in sustainable methodologies.
$168auspices
billion inof
Kingdom
delivery
FY27.
the Paula
government.
of Avanade’s
rooted partnership
Unitedwill lead thediminishing their carbon
strategy across footprint and transitioning
and achievement of their
carbon strategies.
the region. with Microsoft”
12 January 2025
 PEOPLE MOVES

OVES
NAME SURNAME BUILDING TRUST IN
TITLE: XXXXXXX ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIONS
COMPANY: XXXXX
INDUSTRY: XXXXXX The Carbon Trust stands as a
XXXX respected institution, serving as a
reliable compass for attaining net-
LOCATION: XXXXXXXX
zero carbon emissions. It extends
• (30 words) The Carbon Trust its assistance to businesses,
stands as a respected institution governments, and organisations,
aiding them in the establishment
• Serving as a reliable compass for and achievement of their carbon
attaining net-zero carbon reduction objectives.
Originating with a distinct mission
• Emissions. Governments, and to propel decarbonization, it was
organisations, and achievement of inaugurated under the auspices of
their carbon reduction objectives. the United Kingdom government. This
entity bestows valuable knowledge
and proficiency to facilitate the
comprehension and execution of
net zero strategies.
Prioritising sustainability and
Paula Panarra,

LOGO
environmental stewardship, the Manager
General
UK and Ireland,
Carbon Trust plays a pivotal role inAvanade
confronting the challenges of climate
change by aiding diverse stakeholders

COMPANY NAME in diminishing their carbon footprint

and transitioning towards more
HEADQUARTERS: XXXXXXX sustainable methodologies.
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: XXXXXX Prioritising sustainability and
environmental stewardship, the
MARKET CAP: XXXXXX
Carbon Trust plays a pivotal role in
NUMBER OF COUNTRIES: XXXXXX confronting the challenges of climate
(30 words) The Carbon Trust stands change by aiding diverse stakeholders
as a respected institution, serving as in diminishing their carbon
a reliable compass for attaining net- footprint and transitioning towards
zero carbon emissions. Governments, more sustainable methodologies.
and organisations, and achievement and transitioning towards more
of their carbon reduction objectives. sustainable methodologies.

technologymagazine.com 13
 26
PEOPLE MOVES
XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX

26%
COMMON ESG REPORTING
FRAMEWORKS
• The Task Force on Climate-Related
Financial Disclosures (TCFD) XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
• The International Integrated XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Bruce Owen, Council (IIRC)
Reporting Ben Ecroyd,
President EMEA, CCO,
Equinix Anumana

$100 26%
• The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)

PEOPLE MO
• The Climate Disclosure Standards
XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX
• The Climate Disclosure Standards XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX
Board (CDSB) XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX

BUILDING TRUST IN ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIONS

The Carbon Trust stands This entity bestows towards more

BRUCE OWEN
as a respected institution, valuable knowledge andBEN ECROYD and transitioning towards
serving as a reliable proficiency to facilitate
JOB FROM: moreCHIEFsustainable
COMMERCIAL
JOB FROM: MANAGING DIRECTOR,
compassUK for AT
attaining
EQUINIX net- the comprehension and methodologies.
OFFICER AT TDX GROUP
zero carbon emissions. It execution of The Carbon Trust stands
JOB TO: PRESIDENT, EMEA AT EQUINIX JOB TO: CHIEF COMMERCIAL
extends its assistance to net zero strategies. as a respected institution,
OFFICER AT ANUMANA
Equinix,
businesses,
the data governments,
centre infrastructure comprehension and serving as a reliable
company, has appointed
and organisations, Bruce Owen as
aiding execution of net zero compass
Anumana, a digital for attainingand
transformation net-
artificial
President
themof inEurope, Middle East and Africa.
the establishment strategies. zero carbon
intelligence solutions emissions.
provider, It
has appointed
Owen,andwhoachievement
joined Equinixof in 2010, moves Prioritising sustainability
Ben Ecroyd asextends
Chief Commercial
its assistanceOfficer.
to Ben
fromtheir
his role
carbon
as UKreduction
Managing Director where
and environmental joins from TDX businesses,
Group, where governments,
he achieved 15 per
he oversaw
objectives.
14 facilities across London stewardship,
and the Carbon and organisations,
cent year-on-year growth in 2023. aiding
His previous
Manchester. He succeeds
Originating with a Eugene Bergen, Trust plays a pivotalexperience
role in them in
includes anthe establishment
11-year tenure at Equifax
who distinct
retired earlier
missionin 2024.
to propel
Bruce’s previous Group, whereand
confronting the challenges achievement
he set of
a revenue record of $1.2m
rolesdecarbonization,
at Equinix includeitleading
was Corporate
of climate change by inaiding
new business
their
in acarbon
single month.
strategies.
At Anumana,
Financial
inaugurated
Planningunder
and Analysis,
the servingdiverse
as stakeholders which
in launched sustainable
in 2021 andmethodologies.
recently achieved
Chiefauspices
of Staff to
ofthe
theCEO,
Unitedand establishing
diminishing their carbon
B Corp certification,
and achievement
Ben will focusof their
on revenue
the Global
Kingdom Community
government.& Belonging team.footprint and transitioning carbon
growth and market strategies.
expansion across sectors
including manufacturing and legal services.

14 January 2025
 PEOPLE MOVES

NAME SURNAME BUILDING TRUST IN

TITLE: XXXXXXX ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIONS
COMPANY: XXXXX
INDUSTRY: XXXXXX The Carbon Trust stands as a
XXXX respected institution, serving as a
reliable compass for attaining net-
LOCATION: XXXXXXXX
zero carbon emissions. It extends
William Welch,
• (30 words) The Carbon Trust CEO,
its assistance to businesses,
stands as a respected institution Sysdig governments, and organisations,
aiding them in the establishment

OVES
• Serving as a reliable compass for and achievement of their carbon
attaining net-zero carbon reduction objectives.
Originating with a distinct mission
• Emissions. Governments, and to propel decarbonization, it was
organisations, and achievement of inaugurated under the auspices of
their carbon reduction objectives. the United Kingdom government. This
entity bestows valuable knowledge
and proficiency to facilitate the
comprehension and execution of
net zero strategies.
Prioritising sustainability and
WILLIAM WELCH

LOGO
environmental stewardship, the
JOB FROM: PRESIDENT AND COO Carbon Trust plays a pivotal role in
AT TALKDESK confronting the challenges of climate
change by aiding diverse stakeholders
JOB TO: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
COMPANY
AT SYSDIG NAME in diminishing their carbon footprint
and transitioning towards more
Sysdig, a cloud security X
HEADQUARTERS: XXXXXX
technology sustainable methodologies.
NUMBER
company, has OF WilliamX“Bill”
EMPLOYEES:
appointed XXXXX Prioritising sustainability and
Welch as Chief Executive Officer. Bill joins environmental stewardship, the
MARKET CAP: XXXXXX
from Talkdesk, where he served as President Carbon Trust plays a pivotal role in
NUMBER OF COUNTRIES: XXXXXX
and Chief Operating Officer. His previous confronting the challenges of climate
roles
(30
include
words)senior
The Carbon
executive
Trust
positions
stands at change by aiding diverse stakeholders
cybersecurity
as a respected
firmsinstitution,
Duo Security,
serving
Zscaler
as in diminishing their carbon
andaSymantec.
reliable compass
The appointment
for attaining
comes
net- footprint and transitioning towards
as the
zero
cloud
carbon
security
emissions.
market Governments,
is projected more sustainable methodologies.
to reach
and organisations,
$43.74 billion and
by year-end
achievement
and and transitioning towards more
surpass
of their
$63carbon
billion reduction
by 2028. objectives. sustainable methodologies.

technologymagazine.com 15
TECHNO
CONSU
16 January 2025
 TOP 10 – TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS

OLOGY
ULTANTS
Technology Magazine highlights how the Top 10 tech consulting firms are
helping organisations navigate AI, cloud and cybersecurity challenges
WRITTEN BY: MARCUS LAW

WRITTEN BY: MARCUS LAW

technologymagazine.com 17
10
TOP 10 – TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS

BEARINGPOINT
REVENUE: US$1.07BN (2023)
EMPLOYEES: 6,000
MANAGING PARTNER: MATTHIAS LOEBICH
FOUNDED: 1997

BearingPoint’s technology practice

operates across 23 countries, with
4,600 consultants delivering IT strategy
and enterprise architecture projects.
From its Amsterdam base, the firm
has built specific expertise in cloud
adoption and systems integration,
particularly for European mid-
market clients. The firm’s work spans
three units: traditional consulting,
product development and technology
investment. Recent projects have
focused on AI implementation and
cybersecurity improvements for
financial services and manufacturing
clients. The firm’s approach emphasises
measurable outcomes, particularly
in digital transformation initiatives.

Matthias Loebich,
Managing Partner, WATCH NOW
BearingPoint Be the Boss
of AI

18 January 2025
 09
TOP 10 – TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS

ROLAND BERGER
REVENUE: US$1.08BN (2023)
EMPLOYEES: 3,000
CEO: STEFAN SCHAIBLE
FOUNDED: 1967

Roland Berger’s technology practice

has carved out expertise in ERP
transformations, particularly SAP
S/4HANA implementations. Its
consultants work with European and Asian
firms on enterprise architecture and IT
operating model design. Recent projects
have focused on process automation
and AI integration, helping manufacturers
and service providers modernise legacy
systems. The team has developed specific
capabilities in supporting software
companies through SaaS transitions
and fund raising initiatives. Its approach
emphasises practical business outcomes
alongside technical changes, with
consultants working across hardware,
software and IT service sectors.

Stefan Schaible,
WATCH NOW CEO,
Our AI Value Proporsition, Roland Berger
Hasmeet Kaur

technologymagazine.com 19
powered by

Say hello to your new

AI assistant for employees
and customers.
Meet iX Hello—your fully customizable AI assistant designed to accelerate
productivity and transform customer experiences. Deploy in minutes,
integrate seamlessly, and innovate confidently with enterprise-grade security.

Virtually, the best assistant in the world.

Learn More
 08
TOP 10 – TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS

BAIN & COMPANY

REVENUE: US$8BN (2023)
EMPLOYEES: 19,000
CEO: CHRISTOPHE DE VUSSER
FOUNDED: 1973

Bain & Company’s technology practice

has established particular strengths in
semiconductor and software consulting,
working with industry leaders on digital
transformation. The firm’s consultants
specialise in aligning technical initiatives
with commercial objectives, notably
in cloud computing and IoT. Recent
projects have included AI integration
for tech manufacturers and systems
modernisation for telecos. The team
leverages experience from Bain’s private
equity practice to evaluate technology
investments and growth strategies, with
the firm’s approach combining technical
expertise with practical implementation
methods, helping clients navigate
complex system changes.

Christophe
De Vusser,
WATCH NOW CEO,
Product Management Bain & Company
& Innovation at Bain

technologymagazine.com 21
07
TOP 10 – TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS

BOSTON CONSULTING
GROUP
REVENUE: US$12.3BN (2023)
EMPLOYEES: 32,000
CEO: CHRISTOPH SCHWEIZER
FOUNDED: 1963

BCG’s technology practice combines

management consulting expertise with
hands-on digital delivery through its
BCG X division. The firm’s consultants
have led transformations in digital
sales and customer service platforms,
particularly in retail and financial
services. Recent projects have included
AI implementation for FTSE 100 firms
and operating model redesigns for
technology companies. The team’s
experience in product innovation
has helped clients launch new digital
services, while BCG’s analytics practice
supports data-driven decision making
and helps organisations tackle complex
technology challenges.

Christoph
Schweizer,
CEO,
Boston Consulting WATCH NOW
Group A Large-Scale Cost Transformation
Identifies $1 Billion in Savings

22 January 2025
 06
TOP 10 – TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS

EY
REVENUE: US$51.2BN (FY24)
EMPLOYEES: 393,000
CEO: JANET TRUNCALE
FOUNDED: 1989

EY’s tech consulting practice has

developed notable expertise in systems
implementation and data analytics.
Its consultants specialise in aligning
technology investments with business
objectives, particularly in cloud migrations
and cybersecurity. The firm’s recent focus
on AI and data science has attracted
clients seeking practical solutions to
complex digital challenges. EY’s work
spans from IT infrastructure modernisation
to emerging technology integration,
with particular strength in financial
services. The practice combines technical
delivery capability with risk management
experience, helping organisations navigate
digital transformation whilst maintaining
operational security.

Janet Truncale,
WATCH NOW CEO,
EY.ai – The Face EY
of the Future

technologymagazine.com 23
05
TOP 10 – TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS

MCKINSEY & COMPANY

REVENUE: US$16BN (FY23)
EMPLOYEES: 45,000
MANAGING PARTNER: BOB STERNFELS
FOUNDED: 1926

McKinsey Digital, the firm’s technology

consulting arm, has established
a significant presence in digital
transformation. The practice maintains
60 offices globally, where 2,100
specialists deliver IT modernisation
and strategic technology projects.
The firm’s consultants pair with
McKinsey’s strategic advisors to tackle
complex technical challenges, from
cloud computing to cybersecurity.
Recent projects have included agile
transformations for FTSE 100 firms and
IT architecture overhauls for emerging
tech companies. The team’s experience
spans 15,000 digital engagements
across diverse sectors, though it is
particularly active in financial services
and manufacturing.

Bob Sternfels,
Managing Partner,
McKinsey & WATCH NOW
Company Redefining the role of
the Tech Officer

24 January 2025
 04
TOP 10 – TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS

PWC
REVENUE: US$55.4BN (FY24)
EMPLOYEES: 370,000
CHAIRMAN: MOHAMED KANDE
FOUNDED: 1998

PwC’s tech consulting practice handles

major digital transformations for Fortune
500 clients across 150 countries, with
particular expertise in data analytics
and AI implementation. Recent projects
have focused on integrating emerging
technologies into traditional business
operations, especially in financial
services and healthcare sectors. PwC’s
technology consulting team combines
industry-specific knowledge with
practical implementation experience,
particularly in cloud architecture and
cybersecurity. The firm’s research
unit produces detailed analyses of
technology trends, while its partnership
program with major tech vendors
helps clients navigate complex
digital transformations.

Mohamed Kande,
WATCH NOW Chairman,
The Unseen Effort: PwC
PwC

technologymagazine.com 25
 03
TOP 10 – TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS

DELOITTE
REVENUE: US$67.2BN (FY24)
EMPLOYEES: 460,000
CEO: JOE UCUZOGLU
FOUNDED: 1845

Deloitte’s tech consulting practice The firm’s focus on AI governance

has helped drive it to become a and sustainable tech has attracted
major player in digital transformation. both Fortune 500 clients and top
Operating in 150 countries, the firm engineering talent looking to tackle
has built strengths in AI complex business challenges.
implementation, data analytics and
enterprise technology integration,
with consultants working across sectors
from financial services to healthcare.
Recent investments in emerging
technologies have expanded Deloitte’s
capabilities in cloud migration and
cybersecurity, while its research
division regularly publishes market WATCH NOW
analyses that clients use to inform How Generative AI is Transforming
strategy decisions. Enterprise Operations

26 January 2025
TOP 10 – TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS

Joe Ucuzoglu,
CEO,
Deloitte
 TOP 10 – TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS

WATCH NOW
You can with AI

Bill Thomas,
CEO,
KPMG
 02
TOP 10 – TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS

KPMG
REVENUE: US$3BN (FY23)
EMPLOYEES: 273,000
CEO: BILL THOMAS
FOUNDED: 1987

Operating in more than 120 countries, commitment to excellence is reflected

KPMG leverages its position as a ‘Big in its rigorous talent development
Four’ professional services firm to programme, which ensures consultants
deliver comprehensive technology remain at the forefront of technological
solutions across diverse industries. advancement through specialised
The firm’s expertise spans from training and certifications. Whether
cybersecurity and ERP consulting implementing new systems, managing
to cloud transformation and quality digital risks or guiding complex
engineering, bolstered by collaborative transformations, KPMG’s holistic
partnerships with industry giants methodology and deep technical
like Microsoft, Google, Salesforce expertise have made it a trusted
and Oracle. advisor for organisations seeking
Risk management stands as a to thrive in the digital age.
particular strength in KPMG’s portfolio,
helping clients build organisational
resilience while maintaining robust
control systems. The firm’s

technologymagazine.com 29
 01
TOP 10 – TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS

ACCENTURE
REVENUE: US$64.9BN (FY24)
EMPLOYEES: 774,000
CEO: JULIE SWEET
FOUNDED: 1989

Accenture stands as a global Oracle, Salesforce and SAP, enabling

powerhouse in technology consulting, Accenture to deliver comprehensive
with a workforce of over 770,000 digital transformation solutions
professionals spanning more than 120 to its clients.
countries. As one of the world’s leading What sets Accenture apart is its
professional services companies, unique combination of global reach
Accenture has built its reputation on and industry-specific expertise. With
delivering end-to-end solutions across strong financial performance and a
consulting, strategy, technology commitment to sustainability, the
and operations. firm’s ability to attract top talent and
The firm’s commitment to innovation maintain deep industry knowledge has
is evident in its US$1.1bn investment established it as a trusted partner for
in R&D, focusing on cutting-edge organisations navigating the complexities
technologies like AI, blockchain and of digital transformation.
cloud computing. This investment is
complemented by strategic partnerships TO READ MORE TOP 10s,
with tech giants including Microsoft, CLICK HERE

32 January 2025
 TOP 10 – TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS

WATCH NOW
Turn your cloud
potential into
cloud power

Julie Sweet,
CEO,
Accenture
 ABU DHABI GOVERNMENT

NAVIGATING GCC
PROCUREMENT
THE FUTURE OF
GOVERNMENT
STRATEGY
WRITTEN BY:
LIBBY
HARGREAVES

PRODUCED BY:
STUART
IRVING

34 January 2025
C
T:
F
T
 ABU DHABI GOVERNMENT

Waleed Al Saeedi, Director of Capital

Projects at the Department of Culture
and Tourism, explores the evolving
procurement landscape

I
in the GCC

n 2013, Waleed Al Saeedi joined Abu

Dhabi’s Department of Culture and
Tourism (DCT) as Director of Capital
Projects, transforming procurement
processes by slashing tender cycle
times by 80%. Al Saeedi
was later seconded to the Government
Procurement Office, where he introduced
new frameworks for procurement and,
in 2022, continued refining strategies
with the implementation of master
service agreements at a confidential
government entity.

A legacy of growth and transformation

Al Saeedi began his career at Ruwais
Fertilizer Industries (FERTIL) in 1997 after
earning a Civil Engineering degree from
UAE University. He also later completed
an MBA from Abu Dhabi University, but
his procurement optimisation talents
were evident early on as he swiftly rose
through the ranks to manage 80% of
FERTIL’s commercial spend.
Between 2010 and 2013, a key chapter
of Al Saeedi’s career unfolded as he
established and led a procurement
function in a niche, heavily-regulated
industry. This role proved transformative,
offering a platform to demonstrate
his knack for navigating high-stakes
environments with precision and
strategic insight.

36 January 2025
ABU DHABI GOVERNMENT

Waleed Al Saeedi,
Director of Capital
Projects,
Abu Dhabi’s Department
of Culture and Tourism
Waleed Al Saeedi,
Director of Capital
Projects,
Abu Dhabi’s Department
of Culture and Tourism
 ABU DHABI GOVERNMENT

50+
The position demanded mastery
over core procurement processes,
from contract negotiation and
supplier relationship management to
strategy development and meticulous
budgeting. Collaboration with
global suppliers provided valuable Number of government entities
international experience, sharpening his
whose digital procurement
understanding of diverse procurement
Al Saeedi oversees through
systems and exposing the power of
the Government Digital
strong strategic partnerships.
Procurement Platform
One of Al Saeedi’s proudest
accomplishments was fostering team
development, prioritising training that
saw many team members earning can drive value, enhance transparency
CIPS certification for the first time. and create resilience in the supply chain,”
This achievement elevated the team’s he asserts.
professional standards and cemented Al Saeedi has seen this firsthand,
a legacy of transformative leadership. from implementing a new ERP system
“I transformed the procurement back in 1998 to the implementation
team into a best-in-class operation of a Government Digital Procurement
by implementing streamlined policies Platform – an initiative which aimed to
and procedures that reduced lead standardise procurement across more
times, optimised procurement costs than 50 public entities.
and introduced effective spend He continues: “I’ve since witnessed
categorisation,” he proudly explains. how each step forward in technology has
“These advancements weren’t just helped procurement move from a purely
operational improvements; they transactional role to a strategic one.
were strategic shifts that elevated Today, digital transformation is crucial
the department’s role within for the industry’s future.”
the organisation.” Through the project, Al Saeedi
homogenised procurement best
Driving Abu Dhabi’s digital revolution practices such as category management
Every new journey Al Saeedi embarks on and supplier performance tracking
is characterised by the encompassing of in order to promote a more strategic
digital procurement transformation. sourcing approach and strengthen
“To me, digital transformation in local supplier relationships.
this field represents more than just His current focus lies in elevating digital
implementing new systems – it’s services and systems across Abu Dhabi’s
a fundamental shift in how procurement government through cutting-edge

technologymagazine.com 39
 ABU DHABI GOVERNMENT

“I firmly believe that

digital transformation is
not a one-time effort but
an ongoing journey”
WALEED AL SAEEDI
DIRECTOR OF CAPITAL PROJECTS,
DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE
AND TOURISM

Common Digital Platforms. The increased

efficiency, transparency and value he hopes
to gain from the project is the reason he also
encourages others to embrace digitisation.
“New technologies can enhance
efficiency and transparency, but they
require significant investment and
training,” Al Saeedi stresses. “Procurement
professionals should champion the
integration of these technologies to
streamline workflows, enhance data
accuracy and provide real-time insights
into procurement activities. Technology, like e-procurement
“I firmly believe that digital systems, streamlines these efforts,
transformation is not a one-time ensuring efficiency and compliance
effort but an ongoing journey.” with regulatory and ethical frameworks.
As highlighted by Al Saeedi, resilience
Resilience and adaptability requires adaptability.
shape procurement strategies He explains: “To build
Procurement plays a vital role in shaping resilience and adapt to future
the future of government operations uncertainties, governments must
and resilience is at the heart of effective develop a holistic approach that
strategy. For the DCT, procurement ensures procurement activities
revolves around strategic sourcing and remain effective, sustainable and
bulk purchasing to manage costs and adaptable, even in challenging
maintain high standards. economic climates.”

40 January 2025
 ABU DHABI GOVERNMENT

Strategic partnerships also form Collaborative procurement involves

the backbone of DCT’s approach. working closely with suppliers, sharing
Establishing long-term contracts with insights and co-developing solutions
suppliers stabilises pricing and availability, to stay ahead of trends. This flexibility
mitigating risks during market fluctuations. allows procurement models to adapt to
“In previous roles, I have seen the the unique demands of the cultural and
value of these partnerships firsthand; tourism sectors in Abu Dhabi.
they provide reliability when it’s needed “Innovation is driving future
most,” Al Saeedi adds. procurement strategies,” Al Saeedi
emphasises. “Governments must
Collaborative procurement foster an environment where
as a catalyst for change procurement professionals are
Procurement at Abu Dhabi is entering encouraged to explore new methods,
a new phase, with innovation at its core. such as collaborative procurement.”

technologymagazine.com 41
ABU DHABI GOVERNMENT
 ABU DHABI GOVERNMENT

Collaborative procurement also

requires flexible models to adapt to
the ever-changing needs of the sector.
By embracing these forward-thinking
approaches, Abu Dhabi is positioning
itself to meet future demands
efficiently and sustainably.
Al Saeedi highlights the
importance of this philosophy:
“Collaboration between government
entities, private sector partners and
international organisations will further
strengthen procurement strategies,
bringing new resources and innovative
solutions into play. This combined
approach will ensure that government
procurement remains agile, efficient
and able to drive impactful change
across the region.”
By investing in human capital,
Abu Dhabi ensures its workforce
can manage intricate supply
chains and incorporate sustainable
practices, positioning the
department as a leader in
procurement innovation.

Digital transformation’s
sustainability impact
The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council)
region, Al Saeedi explains, is playing
host to significant ongoing procurement
transformations driven by economic
diversification, regulatory reforms and
technological advancements.
He observes that these changes
align with the region’s efforts to move
beyond oil and gas, with investments
in renewable energy, healthcare,
technology and tourism.

technologymagazine.com 45
 ABU DHABI GOVERNMENT

For Al Saeedi, this evolution ties

“Sustainability is
directly to the adoption of digital
tools: “Looking to the future of
governmental procurement and supply
chain operations, I see a field that’s
no longer an option
rapidly evolving, embracing digital in procurement;
transformation and redefining its role
in achieving wider strategic goals.”
it’s a necessity”
The region’s governments are
WALEED AL SAEEDI
increasingly adopting advanced DIRECTOR OF CAPITAL PROJECTS,
e-procurement platforms that DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE
AND TOURISM
streamline operations, reduce
administrative workloads and enhance
data accuracy. By deepening digital
integration, Abu Dhabi aims to set new scores and initiatives to reduce
standards for procurement excellence. carbon footprints. These strategies
Al Saeedi also believes that this will redefine how we evaluate suppliers,
transformation should work hand in giving weight to environmental and
hand with sustainability initiatives. social metrics alongside cost
“Sustainability is no longer an option and quality.”
in procurement; it’s a necessity,” he Procurement is no longer
asserts. “As stewards of organisational about simply closing transactions;
resources, we have a duty to incorporate it’s now a transformative tool for
eco-friendly and socially-responsible achieving broader economic and
practices that align with broader environmental objectives.
environmental and ethical goals.” “Procurement professionals play
Procurement is stepping into a new era, a crucial role in driving success in
one where environmental responsibility government sectors by ensuring
and digital transformation redefine the efficiency, transparency and cost
rulebook. Al Saeedi envisions a future -effectiveness,” Al Saeedi continues.
where procurement strategies embrace By nurturing collaboration, talent and
sustainability as a core principle, leveraging cutting-edge technologies,
blending lifecycle assessments, supplier organisations are increasingly well
sustainability scores and carbon footprint -prepared to navigate a complex and
reduction initiatives. rapidly-changing landscape.
He says: “I believe future
procurement strategies will involve Building procurement
a comprehensive approach to capacity for tomorrow
sustainability, integrating lifecycle For governments, building procurement
assessments, supplier sustainability capacity is vital to future success.

46 January 2025
ABU DHABI GOVERNMENT
ABU DHABI GOVERNMENT
 ABU DHABI GOVERNMENT

“To me, digital transformation in this field

represents more than just implementing
new systems – it’s a fundamental shift in
how procurement can drive value, enhance
transparency and create resilience in the
supply chain”
WALEED AL SAEEDI
DIRECTOR OF CAPITAL PROJECTS,
DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE
AND TOURISM

Al Saeedi highlights the importance advanced e-procurement platforms

of investing in people: “Building to streamline processes, reduce
procurement capacity is critical for administrative burdens and enhance
future success. Looking to the future data accuracy.
of governmental procurement and Yet, Al Saeedi believes the real
supply chain operations, I see a field breakthroughs lie ahead: “The real
that’s rapidly evolving, embracing digital potential lies in deepening this digital
transformation and redefining its role in integration through technologies such as
achieving wider strategic goals.” AI, predictive analytics and blockchain.”
This investment ensures These tools promise transparency,
procurement professionals can traceability and data-driven decisions,
meet rising demands, from handling setting a new benchmark for
intricate supply chains to embedding government procurement.
sustainability into every process. As procurement evolves, its role
Programmes focusing on upskilling in achieving wider strategic goals is
through certifications, workshops and becoming clearer. Al Saeedi’s leadership
knowledge-sharing prepare teams through times of transformation
for the ever-changing regulatory in the sector give valuable lessons
environment and global trends. about the balance of innovation,
Looking to the future, digital tools collaboration and sustainability
are reshaping procurement operations. – ensuring it will remain a pillar of
The region’s governments are adopting regional success.

technologymagazine.com 49
EDGE ADOPTIO
ACCELERATES
ENTERPRISES S
LOWER LATENC
Nokia, BT Wholesale and industry leaders detail how edge architecture
enables real-time applications and transforms service delivery across sectors

50 January 2025
 TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY

ON
AS
SEEK
CY
WRITTEN BY:
AMBER JACKSON

technologymagazine.com 51
 TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY

T
he enterprise
technology sector
faces mounting
pressure to process
unprecedented
volumes of data
while enabling real-
time applications
and maintaining
system reliability. As organisations
deploy more Internet of Things (IoT)
devices and data-intensive applications,
edge computing has emerged as an
architectural approach to managing
these demands by moving
computation closer to data sources.
Marking a departure from centralised
cloud computing models, edge
computing represents a distributed
architecture that places compute
resources at the network periphery,
enabling real-time processing for
applications ranging from augmented
reality to industrial automation.
“Edge combines some of the best
elements of cloud and on-premise
deployments,” says Mark Toman,
Client Director at BT Wholesale.
“By bringing compute power closer
to end use cases through 5G, Edge
supports the ultra-low latency
connectivity required for new
innovations such as VR/AR and AI.”
The technology addresses
limitations in current infrastructure.
While cloud computing provides
scalable resources, the physical
distance between users and data
centres creates latency that impedes
time-sensitive applications.

52 January 2025
technologymagazine.com 53
 MARK TOMAN
TITLE: CLIENT DIRECTOR
COMPANY: BT WHOLESALE
INDUSTRY: TELECOMMUNICATIONS

• Technology leader specialising

in edge computing and 5G
infrastructure solutions at
BT Wholesale, focusing on
enterprise innovation and critical
infrastructure deployment.

54 January 2025
 TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY

“EDGE COMBINES SOME OF THE BEST ELEMENTS

OF CLOUD AND ON-PREMISE DEPLOYMENTS.
BY BRINGING COMPUTE POWER CLOSER TO END
USE CASES THROUGH 5G, EDGE SUPPORTS THE
ULTRA-LOW LATENCY CONNECTIVITY REQUIRED
FOR NEW INNOVATIONS SUCH AS VR/AR AND AI”
MARK TOMAN,
CLIENT DIRECTOR,
BT WHOLESALE

Edge computing reduces these

delays by processing data locally,
enabling new services that require
immediate responsiveness.
“Edge Computing is a modern
method of data processing that occurs
at the ‘edge’ of a network, closer to
where the data is generated, rather than
being sent to a distant central server
or cloud for processing,” explains Mark
Cunningham, Head of Public Sector
and Solution Sales at TalkTalk Business.

Overcoming infrastructure challenges

The implementation of edge computing
presents technical and operational
hurdles. Organisations face significant
costs in deploying distributed nodes,
while managing security across multiple
data access points adds complexity.
“Edge workloads are often highly
data-intensive, processing massive
amounts of real-time data from
sources like IoT devices,” Mark
Cunningham says.

technologymagazine.com 55
 CO - LOCATED WITH:

THE ROUTE TO
A CARBON
NEUTRAL WORLD
5-6 MARCH 2025 | QEII CENTRE, LONDON

EARLY BIRD TICKETS

2000+ 40+ 100s

In-Person & Influential Networking
Virtual Attendees Speakers Opportunities
 TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY

“Managing such large volumes of data,

particularly in real-time, can strain network
resources and lead to bandwidth issues.” MARK CUNNINGHAM
Nokia, the telecommunications TITLE: HEAD OF PUBLIC SECTOR
equipment manufacturer, addresses AND SOLUTION SALES
these challenges through appliance-based COMPANY: TALKTALK BUSINESS
solutions. Erez Sverdlov, Vice President of INDUSTRY: TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Cloud and Network Services, Europe at
Nokia, notes that its 5G User Plane Function • Expert in edge computing
(UPF) provides “the same robust, secure applications and data processing
software as our cloud-based 5G UPF, solutions, leading public sector
however, in a much smaller form-factor initiatives and enterprise
with extremely high throughput – 400Gbps technology implementation at
in a two-server 96 cores configuration using TalkTalk Business.
HP Gen11 and AMD’s Zen 4 chipsets.”
Interoperability between platforms
presents additional complications.
As a result, Erez recommends partnerships Critical infrastructure
with cloud providers and the use of and public services
container orchestration platforms like Edge computing enables organisations
Kubernetes for resource automation and to extend services to areas with limited
scaling. He emphasises the importance infrastructure. The technology supports
of adherence to open standards to remote operations, monitoring systems,
enhance interoperability across systems. and IoT-enabled industrial applications

technologymagazine.com 57
 TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY

“EDGE COMPUTING ALLOWS PROVIDERS TO

DELIVER HYPER-PERSONALISED SERVICES BY
PROVIDING REAL-TIME DATA ANALYSIS LOCALLY.
IT ALSO ALLOWS FOR FASTER RESPONSE
TIMES FOR SERVICES, WHICH IS ESPECIALLY
IMPORTANT FOR REAL-TIME APPLICATIONS
LIKE ONLINE GAMING, MEDIA STREAMING
AND SHARE TRADING”
MARK CUNNINGHAM,
HEAD OF PUBLIC SECTOR
AND SOLUTION SALES,
TALKTALK BUSINESS

by processing data locally rather

than relying on distant data centres.
“Critical National Infrastructure can
benefit greatly from enhanced data-
intensive security and monitoring
technologies supported by a
combination of Edge computing,
safeguarding operations, and monitoring. Nokia demonstrates practical
citizens,” Mark Toman says. applications through partnerships,
In urban environments, edge combining its Core Software as a Service
computing enhances public services with NTT’s and DoCoMo’s In-Network
through smart city applications. Erez Service Acceleration Platform to enable
explains that edge computing “supports efficient processing of AI and video data
the rapid deployment of smart city at the network edge.
technologies while protecting against
service outages due to backhaul failures Performance improvements
or congestion, or computational The technology enables organisations
overload of a centralised system.” to enhance service quality through
These deployments enable real-time localised data processing and analysis.
data processing for traffic management, “Edge Computing allows providers to
public safety and environmental deliver hyper-personalised services

58 January 2025
 by providing real-time data analysis
locally,” Mark Cunningham says. “It also
allows for faster response times for
services, which is especially important
for real-time applications like online
gaming, media streaming, and
share trading.”
AI-powered capabilities at the
WATCH NOW edge enable predictive maintenance
Edge Compute and personalised services, reducing
from BT disruptions and addressing operational
needs in real time. This proactive
approach represents a shift from reactive
support to preventative maintenance.

technologymagazine.com 59
 TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY

BELFAST: A CITY POWERED BY EDGE COMPUTING

Belfast’s transformation into a network, we managed to use our

technology hub demonstrates edge Edge capacity to reduce an 18-hop
computing’s real-world impact. The journey to 8 hops and shave 10ms
city, Northern Ireland’s economic from the network latency.”
centre, handles £25bn in trade At Belfast Harbour, which handles
annually through its harbour and 70% of Northern Ireland’s seaborne
hosts a growing digital sector trade, edge computing transforms
employing over 28,000 people. port operations. BT Wholesale’s asset
BT Wholesale’s deployment for tracking system ensures real-time
Belfast City Council showcases how visibility of port equipment. “This
edge computing enables immersive ensured that port managers knew
experiences in urban environments. where assets were at any given time
The project delivers augmented and and cranes didn’t end up where
virtual reality installations that tell they shouldn’t,” Toman explains.
Belfast’s story, from its shipbuilding The harbour deployment
heritage to its current position forms part of Belfast’s Smart Port
as a technology centre. initiative, which aims to become
“We delivered an AR/VR the world’s best regional smart
immersive experience using our port through digital transformation.
specially optimised 5G network,” Edge computing enables real-time
says Mark Toman, Client Director monitoring of 30,000 vehicle
at BT Wholesale. “By working with movements per day and manages
the company providing the AR/ the port’s annual handling of 1.75
VR application and optimising the million tonnes of bulk cargo.

60 January 2025
technologymagazine.com 61
 EREZ SVERDLOV Security considerations
Security remains a priority as edge
TITLE: VICE PRESIDENT OF
computing deployment expands.
CLOUD AND NETWORK
SERVICES, EUROPE TalkTalk’s Mark emphasises the
importance of protecting sensitive data:
COMPANY: NOKIA
“We need to prioritise data security
INDUSTRY: TELECOMMUNICATIONS and develop robust encryption and
EQUIPMENT compliance processes to ensure that
• Senior executive overseeing sensitive data is protected at every stage.”
Nokia’s cloud and network Organisations implement various
services in Europe, specialising solutions to address security concerns.
in 5G infrastructure and edge “One way to tackle these challenges
computing solutions. is through effective software-defined
network and device management,”

62 January 2025
 TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY

“THE COMBINATION OF EDGE COMPUTING

AND 5G ENABLES HIGH-SPEED, LOW-LATENCY
SERVICES WITHOUT RELYING ON DISTANT
DATA CENTRES, ALLOWING TELCOS TO DELIVER
FASTER, MORE RELIABLE CONNECTIVITY IN
RURAL OR REMOTE REGIONS”
EREZ SVERDLOV,
VICE PRESIDENT OF CLOUD AND
NETWORK SERVICES EUROPE,
NOKIA

“The ultra-fast connectivity and

low latency that Edge can deliver will
enable pioneering use cases such as
VR headsets which allow builders and
surveyors to analyse building sites
without physically being there,”
Mark Toman says. “VR/AR can also
be used for inventory management
and warehousing operations to
reduce errors and speed up the
he says. “For example, a cloud-managed picking process.”
system like the Cisco Meraki dashboard The integration of edge computing
can provide centralised control over all with AI creates opportunities for new
connected IoT devices, giving businesses services. Organisations anticipate
real-time visibility into their network developments in autonomous
access and usage.” systems, industrial IoT applications
and augmented reality services.
Future developments “From now to 2030, technology
The enterprise technology sector will revolutionise industry,” Mark
anticipates significant changes in Cunningham says. “At the forefront
edge computing implementation. of this is Edge Computing. This will
Many organisations plan to adopt open more options for AI to be adopted
multi-cloud strategies, offering flexibility and deployed on any application,
and scalability for edge infrastructure. any device and anywhere.”

technologymagazine.com 63
 SUS
CE

64 January 2025
 ELEA DATA CENTERS

STAINABLE DATA
ENTRE LEADERS
IN BRAZIL

WRITTEN BY:
AMBER JACKSON

PRODUCED BY:
LEWIS VAUGHAN
 ELEA DATA CENTERS

T
Alessandro Lombardi, he Brazilian data centre
industry has continued
President at Elea Data to expand, becoming the
Centers, explains how largest market in the LATAM
the data centre company region. In 2023 alone, the
commits to green country accounted for around 40% of the
LATAM region’s total investment.
strategies to meet AI Amid such growth in the regional
demand sustainably market, data centre operators like Elea

66 January 2025
 Elea RJO2 data
centre project

Data Centers are committed for the data centre industry in Brazil,
to supporting continued industry particularly in the midst of the global
growth in Brazil. technology boom.
Alessandro Lombardi, President “Brazil has become a magnet for
of Elea Data Centers, founded the international clients and therefore I find
company in 2018 and has since acted myself travelling much more than I did
as Chairman of the board. He is in 2018,” he explains. “My role is now
responsible for helping the company to act as somewhat of a representative
navigate the next exciting chapter of Brazilian digital infrastructure.”

technologymagazine.com 67
 ELEA DATA CENTERS

AI and cloud demand:

Remaining competitive ALESSANDRO LOMBARDI
Demand for AI and cloud services TITLE: PRESIDENT
continues to increase across the
data centre industry, which is inevitably With over two decades of experience
creating significant challenges in private equity, corporate finance
for operators. and business development,
Currently, Elea Data Centers has Alessandro Lombardi leads Elea
nine facilities running in Brazil, operating Data Centers, Brazil’s leading provider
across five different states. Elea’s is of sustainable digital infrastructure
the only geographically differentiated and colocation services.
platform in Brazil, with most other As President of Elea, Alessandro
companies just operating in the continues to drive innovation and
São Paulo-Rio market. sustainable growth in the Latin
“Our clients have demands that American digital infrastructure
appear unexpectedly and they need sector as a visionary leader. He is
services immediately, which can be also the founder and CEO of Piemonte
challenging in terms of planning,” Holding, a diversified investment firm
Alessandro explains. “The real challenge that partners with global institutions
is being able to plan where demand like Goldman Sachs.
is going in these times.” Alessandro has successfully
He adds: “We operate in other executed numerous M&A transactions
markets because we believe that and raised capital for businesses in
digital infrastructure needs to be the digital infrastructure, defense
geographically spread. Especially and technology sectors.
because of latency and also with AI, Passionate about creating value
you really need to have compute and impact through his investments,
capacity closer to the population. Alessandro is a board member of
“We understand how unique Brazil PUC-Rio, the Pontifical Catholic
is in terms of green energy capacity University of Rio de Janeiro and
and therefore we operate green EARJ, the American School in Rio
data centres.” de Janeiro, demonstrating his
As a result of these developments, commitment to education and
the company has witnessed significant community development.
increases in demand for disruptive He holds a graduate degree
technologies. When it comes to AI in in Economics and Business
particular, Elea Data Centers is making Administration from Luiss Guido
sure it is remaining competitive within Carli University and he has studied
the industry by being flexible amid the History of Philosophy and Art
rapid growth. at prestigious Italian universities.

68 January 2025
ELEA DATA CENTERS

Alessandro Lombardi,
President,
Elea Data Centers
 ELEA DATA CENTERS

Alessandro
Lombardi
with Giordano
Albertazzi,
CEO of Vertiv

“The cloud wave in Brazil caused need to be flexible. You need to

a 10x increase in megawatt (MW) accept that things may change.
demand,” Alessandro notes. “Now You want to build an environment
with AI, you rarely see a client that which is prone to innovation,
doesn’t have at least 100MW of demand. development and new technology.”
We are seeing an incredible demand –
and the data centre is different. Offering a new type of data centre
As a result, the product and the With such large demand, the LATAM data
real estate are different.” centre market is becoming increasingly
He adds: “We’re being flexible competitive. As a result, Elea Data
with what our clients need because Centers is preparing to meet continued
new technology, especially AI, is demand from hyperscalers, particularly
new also for our clients. So you when it comes to AI and cloud.

70 January 2025
 ELEA DATA CENTERS

PIONEERING LIQUID COOLING TO SUPPORT AI

As a leading data centre provider in Brazil, showcasing this kind of equipment

Elea Data Centers is committed to supporting in the Americas. The very first CDUs come
the region’s AI growth. In order to achieve this, from the Mexican factory, which is coming
the company is using liquid cooling systems to our São Paulo site. And we will be deployed
from leading data centre infrastructure at the end of 2025.”
company Vertiv for its purpose-built AI data When it comes to impact in Brazil, Alessandro
centres in Brazil. is optimistic, particularly as the country’s data
The companies announced the partnership centre market becomes more mature.
at the end of 2024. The cooling systems from “I’m very happy to pioneer this technology in
Vertiv are part of Elea’s first-phase investment Brazil and Latin America,” he says. “I have to say
of US$300m for AI-ready data centres. These that the flexibility that we’ve learned to have in
systems are designed to ultimately help our engineering department was key, because
Brazil succeed in the global AI race, with this is really new. You need to think ahead.
Vertiv providing hundreds of cooling “Vertiv is incredible. They are
distribution units (CDUs) to support liquid preparing for a rack of one megawatt
cooling for AI applications. density. So imagine a rack of one.”
“We have collaborated on a hybrid- He adds: “Many data centres have critical
cooled data wall for AI and machine learning capacity. Since we have a lot of green energy
deployment,” Alessandro explains. available as an ecosystem, I understand that
“It is the first of its kind to show what we know the impact will be to attract more and more
in Latin America. Vertiv is the first company AI deployment to the region.”
Building the Infrastructure of the
Future in Latin America: Data Centers
with Excellence and Reliability

In the digital age, infrastructure is

the foundation of progress.

We specialize in building
high-performance data centers
designed to meet the ever-evolving
demands of technology.

Combining innovation, efficiency, and

sustainability, with over 650 MVA
delivered across the region, we deliver
tailored solutions that connect
businesses and communities across
Latin America.

Partners in the present, building

the future.

Be part of the Future of Technology!

Visit our website >>

+55 11 5687.8133
Connect with us and watch
[email protected] our videos:

Av. das Nações Unidas, nº 19561 - Jardim

Promissão, São Paulo | SP - Brasil

We materialize highly complex and critical projects,

including those that seem impossible.
 ELEA DATA CENTERS

The winners of
DCD LATAM and
Global Awards 2024

“The strategy we are using is to have

enough land adjacent to our existing
“In Brazil, we have sites to make sure that all of our data
the chance to run centres – or at least most of them – are
expandable,” Alessandro comments.
data centres in a “We are also building energy infrastructure
better way that is substations, transformers and distribution
to our sites to make sure that we have
more sustainable some hundreds of megawatts close to
and humanised” our sites ready to deploy. Because that’s
key. When the money grows so much,
ALESSANDRO LOMBARDI, you need to be ready.”
PRESIDENT, He adds: “We are investing heavily
ELEA DATA CENTERS
in energy infrastructure in order to be
ready for 2025 and 2026, whilst there
are not as many competitors.”
São Paulo remains the largest
data centre market in LATAM, with
its availability increasing to 62.1 MW
from 52.3 MW in Q1 2024. However,

technologymagazine.com 73
 ELEA DATA CENTERS

demand continues to outpace supply – Alessandro says. “We continue to grow

particularly in more densely populated at a very fast pace because we truly
areas – which means operators are believe that digitalisation needs to
now needing to implement strategies have the support of the community.
to address the critical need for data “In Brazil, we have the chance to run
centre capacity. data centres in a better way that is more
“São Paulo is highly populated, but it is sustainable and humanised. We see it
less than 10% of the Brazilian population. to be an amicable kind of infrastructure.”
For the other 90%, we are differentiating
ourselves because, instead of going to Being a sustainable pioneer
the outskirts, we are preparing to design Elea Data Centers has a strong track
data centres which are humanised. It’s record when it comes to its sustainability
important that our architecture can live strategy, as it operates all of its facilities
together with the urban ecosystem,” with renewable energy. In order

74 January 2025
 ELEA DATA CENTERS

Elea RJO1
data centre,
Rio de Janeiro

“We’re being flexible to ensure that sustainability is kept

at the forefront of its strategy, Elea
with what our clients Data Centers is committed to ensuring

need because that its operations remain energy

efficient, with the prevention of
new technology excess water consumption.

– especially AI “What we have done is make sure that

our commitment to the environment
– is new also for is not only marketing, but it’s true and

our clients” factual,” Alessandro explains. “We have

agreed with our syndicate of banks,
which are some of the largest in Brazil,
ALESSANDRO LOMBARDI,
PRESIDENT, to measure some of our key performance
ELEA DATA CENTERS

technologymagazine.com 75
 ELEA DATA CENTERS

indicators every year. If we don’t

meet these key performance indicators
“We will have to
and improve them in the next five continue to make
or six years, we will end up paying
more interest.” He adds: “We are also
changes and I
committed to power usage efficiency want our people,
(PUE) and water usage efficiency together with our
clients, to be ready
(WUE) to use less power and water.
This is also measured regularly.”
Alessandro is also very honest and to jump into
the future”
about other initiatives that the
company remains very passionate
about, including women in leadership.
ALESSANDRO LOMBARDI,
“We truly believe, especially in the PRESIDENT,
IT market in Latin America, that it’s ELEA DATA CENTERS

76 January 2025
 ELEA DATA CENTERS

With more than 30 years within the

market, the company is a true leader
in construction solutions and delivers
high availability engineering projects,
whilst solving complex engineering
and technology problems.
“Mendes Holler for any Latin American
market player needs no introduction,”
Alessandro explains. “They have built
60% of Latin American data centres,
with 700MW of building construction
engineering of data centres across Brazil,
Mexico, Colombia and Chile.”
Mendes Holler holds a vision for
constant improvement in its services
moving forward, whilst remaining eager
to prioritise sustainability across all of its
projects. For Elea Data Centers, Mendes
Holler is a significant partner to have.
“At C-level, they are involved
in the details, so you know who to
Elea employees call,” Alessandro notes. “Therefore,
it strengthens a lot of what we are
doing and the way we present ourselves
to our clients maintains their confidence,
very important to have women because everybody knows that Mendes
at the top of the company,” he says. Holler has delivered hundreds of
“We have been working to hire women megawatts already.”
for different areas of the company, The end-goal with this partnership
but very few of these are in leadership is clear: to speed up time-to-market.
roles. So we have committed to With Mendes Holler’s efficient
achieving 40% of women in leadership reputation, the construction leader
roles by 2028, which is a benchmark will help Elea Data Centers meet
commitment in LATAM.” its deadlines faster.
“That is the most important thing
Mendes Holler: Delivering on strategy – delivering on what we have agreed
In order to make good on its expansion upon in due course. The key is on-time
promises, Elea Data Centers is delivery. The global data centre market
partnering with leading mission-critical often experiences delays, but Mendes
construction company Mendes Holler. Holler mitigates this risk heavily.”

technologymagazine.com 77
 ELEA DATA CENTERS

A key player in Brazil

“The global data Looking ahead, Elea Data Centers is
centre market seeking to continue being a pioneering
influence across the LATAM data centre
often experiences industry. To ensure that Brazil remains
delays, but Mendes a key figure in the global AI data centre
landscape, Alessandro notes that the
Holler mitigates company seeks to help its international

this risk heavily” clients understand its commitment

to green energy.
ALESSANDRO LOMBARDI, “Transmission is great in Brazil. It’s
PRESIDENT, not an exaggeration to say that it is better
ELEA DATA CENTERS than in the US – already in São Paulo,
 ELEA DATA CENTERS

capacity has already been increased forward, it is about having a heavy

by 40%. We have a uniqueness engineering capacity and continuing
that nobody else has in the market to be flexible. First, we were designing
right now, with eight gigawatts of sites with 30 kilowatt (KW) density per
green power currently available.” rack. Now, the same site is 100KW per
As Brazil enters a new phase of rack. It’s an enormous difference and
digitalisation, this green power is going I expect this to continue in the future.
to be essential to support AI use within “GPUs will continue to grow in their
the region. capacity, and with it their energy
“We are already ahead of other consumption. We will have to continue
countries because of our green power to make changes and I want our people,
capacity,” Alessandro says. “To address together with our clients, to be ready
the unique requirements of AI moving and to jump into the future.”

technologymagazine.com 79
 LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT IN TECHNOLOGY

DANIEL DIN
THE DEVELOPER
RESHAPING
ENTERPRISE
AUTOMATION
Founding robotic process automation company UiPath
in 2005 as DeskOver, today Daniel Dines is plotting
a course through the generative AI era

WRITTEN BY: MARCUS LAW

80 January 2025
 LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT IN TECHNOLOGY

NES:

Daniel Dines,
CEO,
UiPath
 iPath, which
develops software DANIEL DINES
to automate
TITLE: CEO
repetitive digital
tasks for enterprises, COMPANY: UIPATH
is repositioning its INDUSTRY: AUTOMATION
technology for the
Daniel Dines founded UiPath in
era of generative AI
(Gen AI) under the renewed leadership Romania in 2005, growing it into
of founder Daniel Dines. a global leader in robotic process
The company, which automates automation. After taking the
manual processes like data entry and company public in 2021,
payroll management through robotic he continues to serve as CEO.
process automation (RPA) technology,
rocketed from obscurity to the fastest-
growing SaaS company ever at the time
– and today, under Daniel’s leadership,
is one of the global leaders in RPA.

UiPath journey from Romanian

apartment to global scale
Coined the ‘Boss of the Bots’ by Forbes,
Daniel and UiPath’s story began in 2005
as DeskOver, a software outsourcing
business operating from his apartment
in Bucharest. A pivotal moment came
in 2012 when the company received a
request from an Indian business process
outsourcing firm to demonstrate its
technology alongside Blue Prism,
a British RPA provider.
“I never heard about Blue Prism or RPA
at that time. I said, I have no idea who
they are. Let me search on the internet,”
Daniel told Sequoia Capital recently.
The demonstration led to a shift in
focus to automation software.
“I realised that actually that’s a much
bigger market than what we were going
for before. I couldn’t imagine that there

82 January 2025
LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT IN TECHNOLOGY

Daniel Dines,
CEO,
UiPath
LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT IN TECHNOLOGY
“YOU SHOULD GO FASTER THAN
THEM. YOU KNOW HOW THEY
CONQUERED CHINA? THEIR ARMY
WAS FASTER THAN CHINESE ARMY”
DANIEL DINES,
CEO,
UIPATH
 LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT IN TECHNOLGOY

“THE MAIN
CHALLENGE
WITH GEN AI FOR
BUSINESSES RIGHT
NOW IS FROM
THE RELIABILITY
OF GEN AI. IT’S
SO SMART, BUT
IT’S LIKE HIRING
UNSTABLE
GENIUSES”
DANIEL DINES,
CEO,
UIPATH
 are so many inefficiencies in the
world of business, enterprise business
processes. It has become obvious to
me that we have to go all in after that
market,” says Daniel.

UiPath combines RPA

technology with language models
The company has launched products
that combine its RPA technology with
large language models, including
UiPath Autopilot for automated testing
and development, and AI Center for
integrating machine learning into
existing automations.
“The main challenge with Gen AI
for businesses right now is from the
reliability of Gen AI. It’s so smart, but
it’s like hiring unstable geniuses. And
most companies would like stable,
decent level of intelligence,”
Daniel says.
This evolution comes after a period
of rapid expansion at UiPath which
made it the fastest-growing SaaS
company in history at the time. The
company grew from $5m in revenue
in 2016 to $35m and nearly $200m
in 2018 through what Daniel termed
a ‘Genghis Khan strategy’ of rapid
market expansion.
“You should go faster than them.
You know how they conquered China?
Their army was faster than Chinese
army, so they were defeating all the
Chinese cities, and they couldn’t catch
them. So that was kind of my strategy:
let’s go, let’s spread, let’s see where it
Name Surname, works and let’s double down on it,”
Job Title,
Company Name
he told Sequoia Capital.
(Use this caption for
bleeding images)
technologymagazine.com 87
 LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT IN TECHNOLOGY

Leadership change His return as CEO in May 2024 triggered

impacts UiPath operations a decline in UiPath’s share price. “The last
In January 2024, Dines stepped away two months were probably some of the
from the CEO role to become chief toughest – maybe the toughest,” says
innovation officer, focusing on product Daniel, regarding investor reaction.
development. The move created internal The company maintains development
tensions. “It was an old guard versus new operations in Bucharest alongside its
guard type of dynamic in the company, New York headquarters, serving 10,800
which was not very healthy. I got customers across 100 countries.
disconnected also from customers, Its technology helps enterprises
from partners,” he says. automate repetitive digital tasks

88 January 2025
 WATCH NOW
UiPath ft. Daniel Dines – From
Bootstrapping in Bucharest to
One of Software’s Biggest IPOs

through software that can “Our main proposition is automation

interact with existing applications. will make the models more reliable in
Brandon Deer, Chief Strategy Officer how AI can help us. I think we’ve become
at UiPath, told Sequoia Capital the much crisper over the last 18 months,”
company’s recent focus has refined says Daniel. “Now, many people realise AI
its direction: “We made a number of without automation doesn’t really get to
refinements to how we build, where the full benefit of AI. And to quote one of
we spend time, how we ship,” he said. our long time customers, he said to me
“And I think our product strategy has recently, ‘Daniel, we talk a lot about AI,
really honed in on something quite but most of the time, we end up talking
special for the future.” about automation.’”

technologymagazine.com 89
 AI/ML

SERVICENOW,

2025
SNOWFLAKE & ZOOM:

TO SEE GEN AI
VALUE SHIFT
Technology leaders predict generative AI focus will
move from experimentation to production deployment,
with emphasis on data quality and collaboration

WRITTEN BY: MARCUS LAW

90 January 2025
technologymagazine.com 91
M
ajor technology from experimental deployments
companies have spent to production systems.
two years implementing The rapid advancement of AI
generative AI (Gen AI) capabilities – particularly in large
across their operations, language models that power tools
deploying AI models for tasks ranging like ChatGPT – has driven widespread
from customer service to code adoption across industries. However,
development. These implementations enterprises face obstacles in achieving
have revealed challenges in data quality, measurable returns on their AI
security, and workforce adaptation that investments. These include data quality
must be addressed as enterprises move issues, skills shortages and governance
 AI/ML

challenges that technology ServiceNow, the digital

leaders expect to address in 2025. workflow company, reports
Early adopters report that successful changing approaches to AI
AI implementation requires fundamental implementation across different
changes to data management practices, departments and regions. “If 2023
security protocols and workforce was about learning and 2024 was
development strategies. The focus is about rapid experimentation, then
shifting from proving technical feasibility 2025 is certainly the year of value
to demonstrating business value, with realisation,” says Cathy Mauzaize,
emphasis on practical applications that President of Europe, Middle East
can scale across organisations. and Africa at ServiceNow.

technologymagazine.com 93
Cathy Mauzaize,
President, EMEA,
ServiceNow
 AI/ML

CATHY MAUZAIZE “If 2023 was about

TITLE: PRESIDENT, EMEA
learning and 2024
COMPANY: SERVICENOW
INDUSTRY: ENTERPRISE
was about rapid
SOFTWARE experimentation,
Technology executive leading then 2025 is
ServiceNow’s EMEA operations. Prior certainly the year
of value realisation”
experience includes senior roles at
VMware and EMC, focusing on digital
transformation and enterprise solutions.
CATHY MAUZAIZE,
PRESIDENT, EMEA,
SERVICENOW

Data quality emerges as

key factor in AI success
Companies attempting to implement
Gen AI face challenges with data quality
and accuracy. Projects often struggle
due to inadequate data preparation and
training time. “Without good quality
data, AI projects cannot succeed,” Cathy
notes, emphasising a shift from proof-of-
concept to proof-of-value approaches.
AI search technology, which can
integrate structured and unstructured data
from various sources like Workday and
Microsoft Excel, offers potential solutions
to data integration challenges. However,
success requires clean data, governance
frameworks and strategic implementation.
Transparency in data usage emerges
as a priority. “To truly get value from AI,
organisations need to bring together three
things: the availability of clean, complete
data; transparency around how that
data is governed and used; and the
right philosophy to get value from
the work,” Cathy explains.

technologymagazine.com 95
 AI/ML

HELEN HAWTHORN
ENTERPRISE AI TITLE: HEAD OF SOLUTIONS
EVOLUTION 2023-2025 ENGINEERING, EMEA
COMPANY: ZOOM

2023 INDUSTRY: TECHNOLOGY

LEARNING PHASE Engineering leader specialising in

- First enterprise AI experiments enterprise communications solutions.
- Focus on technical feasibility Expertise in AI implementation and
technical customer success across

2024 EMEA markets.

EXPERIMENTATION PHASE
- Rapid prototyping
- Security challenges emerge
- GPU shortages appear

2025
VALUE REALISATION PHASE
- AI observability mainstreams
- Agentic systems deployment
- Human-AI collaboration focus
- Data quality emphasis

Zoom sees shift to AI-first user

interfaces and workplace collaboration
Communications technology
company Zoom predicts significant
changes in how users interact with
AI systems. Helen Hawthorn, Head
of Solutions Engineering EMEA at
Zoom, says “AI-first user interfaces
will blend conversational AI with
graphical user interfaces to create
intuitive, personalised interactions
that adapt to user behaviours
and needs.”

96 January 2025
 3
The company also forecasts increased
adoption of federated AI models, which
combine multiple large language models
(LLMs) – the technology behind Gen AI
systems – to provide tailored solutions
across platforms.
Helen adds that “AI agents will move
Core requirements for AI value:
beyond task automation to orchestrate
actionable insights across entire
Clean data organisations. These agents will focus
Data governance transparency on identifying inefficiencies, optimising
Strategic philosophy workflows, and ensuring that critical
actions are prioritised in real-time.”

technologymagazine.com 97
Build
Built-to-Order Solutions for
Your Technology Investment
Addressing the challenges of data centre
managers globally, Wesco Anixter delivers
industry-leading products and comprehensive
supply chain services for our customers.
Through our strategic partnership with CPI,
we offer the state-of the-art and highly
configurable ZetaFrame® cabinet, a robust,
turnkey cabinet solution that enables
high-density cable management and
easy integration of power and
thermal accessories.

Scan to learn more

about Chatsworth
Products’ ZetaFrame™
Cabinet System.

Wesco.com/datacenters-emea
 AI/ML

STEVE RAFFERTY
TITLE: HEAD OF EMEA
COMPANY: ZOOM
INDUSTRY: TECHNOLOGY
Senior technology executive overseeing
Zoom’s EMEA business operations.
Background in enterprise software and
telecommunications strategy.

The workplace transformation

extends to hybrid working models.
Steve Rafferty, Head of EMEA at Zoom,
says “investment in reliable, high-
performance technology and AI-driven
WATCH NOW
collaboration tools will create more
What Can AI Do?
inclusive, flexible environments.”
| Put AI To Work with
ServiceNow
Snowflake predicts mainstreaming
of AI observability
Data cloud company Snowflake
identifies AI observability – the
ability to monitor AI system
performance, accuracy and
potential ethical issues – as a
key trend. “I view AI observability
as the missing puzzle piece to
building explainability into the

technologymagazine.com 99
 AI/ML

development process,” says Baris

Gultekin, Head of AI at Snowflake.
The graphics processing unit
(GPU) shortage, particularly acute
in Europe, presents challenges for
AI deployment. Regional data laws
and security considerations
complicate potential solutions like
routing traffic to areas with greater
GPU capacity.
Baris predicts that agentic systems
– AI systems capable of autonomous
decision-making – will emerge as
a significant force. “2025 is when we
will start seeing the hype of agentic
systems start to bear fruit,” he says,
“with the first set of high-value agentic
use cases going into production
– think handling customer service
problems, identifying cyberthreats
and project management.”

BARIS GULTEKIN
TITLE: HEAD OF AI
COMPANY: SNOWFLAKE
INDUSTRY: DATA CLOUD
AI technology leader with expertise
in machine learning and data
platforms. Previously co-founded
Google Quick Search Box and led
product strategy.
 BRAD JONES
TITLE: CISO, VP OF INFORMATION
SECURITY
COMPANY: SNOWFLAKE
INDUSTRY: DATA CLOUD

Cybersecurity executive specialising in

cloud security and enterprise risk
management. Focus on AI security
and compliance frameworks.

Cybersecurity concerns
“As AI tools become shape AI deployment
more versatile and ServiceNow reports increased C-suite
involvement in AI governance. “The
accurate, security deployment of AI introduces both

assistants will operational risks and broader strategic,

reputational and ethical concerns,” says
become a significant Cathy, citing examples like algorithmic
bias in recruitment tools.
part of the SOC, Brad Jones, CISO and VP of Information
easing the perennial Security at Snowflake, identifies new
security opportunities and challenges.
manpower shortage” “As AI tools become more versatile and
accurate, security assistants will become
BRAD JONES, a significant part of the SOC [Security
CISO, VP OF
INFORMATION SECURITY, Operations Centre], easing the perennial
SNOWFLAKE manpower shortage.”

technologymagazine.com 101
 AI/ML

Concerns about data exposure

through AI systems may be overstated.
Brad notes that “people putting
proprietary data into large language
models to answer questions or help
compose an email pose no greater risk
than someone using Google or filling
out a support form.”
However, new attack vectors are
emerging. “I predict that we’ll start
seeing patterns like attackers injecting
themselves into different parts of the
pipeline so that AI models provide
incorrect answers, or even worse,
reveal the information and data from
which it was trained,” Brad warns.

Workplace transformation
drives skill requirements
The integration of AI into workplaces
requires new approaches to leadership
and skills development. Steve Rafferty
says “AI-native employees, those
accustomed to integrating AI into
daily life, will push businesses to
fully embrace AI tools, reshaping
workplace expectations.”
Developer roles face transformation
as AI tools become more accessible.
Jeff Hollan, Head of Applications and
Developer Platform at Snowflake, notes
that “as tools become increasingly
powered by AI and easier to use,
companies will no longer need
highly-specialised talent to
complete development projects.”
The shortage of AI-focused
developers presents challenges.
“There are simply not enough AI-centric
developers to fulfill the increasing

102 January 2025

JEFF HOLLAN
TITLE: HEAD OF APPLICATIONS
AND DEVELOPER PLATFORM
COMPANY: SNOWFLAKE
INDUSTRY: DATA CLOUD
Platform engineering leader with expertise
in developer tools and cloud applications.
Background in Microsoft Azure and
enterprise software development.
 AI/ML

“If a team becomes 15%

more productive with AI,
their manager also needs
to become 15% more
productive to keep up”
BRAD JONES,
CISO, VP OF
INFORMATION SECURITY,
SNOWFLAKE

demand for deploying enterprise-grade

AI applications,” Jeff explains. “Highly
specialised AI developers also come
with incredibly high salaries, limiting
participation in the AI talent war to
a small group of organisations.”
Data engineers will also face
increasing demands. “As enterprises
have started experimenting with AI,
they’ve quickly realised that an AI
system is only as valuable as the data
that’s feeding into it,” Jeff adds. “Data
engineering teams will be expected to
either repurpose their existing tooling
to work for AI-centric data pipelines
and workflows, or to learn and
implement new tooling.”
Management practices require
adaptation to maintain productivity
as AI deployment increases. “If a team
becomes 15% more productive with AI,
their manager also needs to become
15% more productive to keep up,” says
Jeff. “It’s imperative that managers
not only encourage AI adoption across
their teams, but also ‘walk the walk’
themselves and keep up with team-
wide productivity gains.”

technologymagazine.com 105
 IN NUMBERS: THE LA

62%
OF BRANDS OUTSOURCE THEIR
CONTACT CENTRE OPERATIONS
Global contact centres remain the backbone of customer service
delivery, with nearly two-thirds of brands relying on outsourced
operations to manage their customer interactions

100,000
frontline agents to be
displaced by Gen AI in 2025
59%
of design
Global contact centres
remain the backbone of professionals
customer service delivery,
with nearly two-thirds of report executive
brands relying on outsourced
operations to manage their
backing for
customer interactions accessibility
106 January 2025
 5mm
Gap

ATEST TRENDS IN CX

4
DIFFERENT
25%
OF CX TEAMS TO
TECHNOLOGIES
USED BY AVERAGE
CUT SPECIALISED
CX TEAMS TOOLS IN 2025
A quarter of customer experience
teams will opt for “good enough”
enterprise solutions, abandoning
underutilised specialist tools in favour
of streamlined tech stacks

CX QUALITY HITS
ALL-TIME LOW IN 2024
Despite strong stock market
performance, customer experience
quality has reached its nadir,
creating opportunities for bold
organisations willing to invest
in differentiation
 BIG PICTURE

Porsche utilised Industry 4.0

technologies to transform
manufacturing at its plant in Leipzig
 CREDIT: PORSCHE
INDUSTRY 4.0 IN ACTION:
PORSCHE’S PRODUCTION
MASTERCLASS
Through smart automation and
Industry 4.0 tech, Porsche’s Leipzig
plant has revolutionised the
traditional “marriage” of car bodies
and powertrains. The reimagined
assembly line seamlessly handles
gasoline, hybrid and all-electric
Macans, processing up to 600
vehicles daily. At its heart are
intelligent systems like computer
vision for battery inspection –
showcasing how legacy automakers
can adapt without compromising
efficiency or precision.

technologymagazine.com 109
 INNOVATION GROUP:
COMMITTED TO
AN INSURANCE
REVOLUTION
Innovation Group’s digital platform, Gateway,
is transforming vehicle repair management
WRITTEN BY: AMBER JACKSON

110 January 2025

INNOVATION GROUP

James Coggin
Chief Technology Officer,
Innovation Group
 INNOVATION GROUP

I
nnovation Group delivers tech-
enabled services to insurance
“THE PLATFORM HAS
companies, fleet managers and NOW REACHED
automotive manufacturers. With SIGNIFICANT SCALE
a presence across the US, UK,
Europe, South Africa and Australia,
WITH OVER €1.25BN
the company has been investing in OF REPAIR VALUE
its Gateway platform to future-proof PROCESSED”
insurance claims technology.
JAMES COGGIN
James Coggin, Innovation Group’s
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER,
Chief Technology Officer, holds INNOVATION GROUP
responsibility for technology and digital
transformation globally. He explains
how the company’s vision is to place
a digital platform at the centre of the
repair ecosystem to ensure that all
parties, including the insurer, body
shop and driver, have all the information
required to ensure repairs are completed
in the best possible way.
“A key part of this is to provide
transparency to all of these parties,”
James explains. “The platform
provides updates to stakeholders as
required, and also provides drivers
with a self-service link. This gives the
customer access to a dashboard “The process relied on manual and
showing the key information about time consuming check-points, whereas
their vehicle and the repair.” in other areas of their lives, customers
were already used to transparency,”
Gateway platform: James notes. “For example, when
Improving customer satisfaction ordering from meal delivery apps,
James explains that, historically customers can see where their order
if a customer required a vehicle repair, is and the expected delivery time, and
they would have dealt with their insurer this in turn provides peace of mind”
and vehicle body shop, often via phone That platform has now reached
calls. That includes reporting their significant scale, with over €1.25bn
incident, checking if a repair has been (US$1.31bn) of repair value processed
approved and asking for status updates in Germany across more than
and completion target dates for repair. 500,000 orders.

112 January 2025

 JAMES COGGIN
TITLE: CHIEF TECHNOLOGY
OFFICER
COMPANY: INNOVATION GROUP
INDUSTRY: INSURANCE

the wider business,” James explains.

“Moving away from a waterfall software
development mindset was one of the
key changes made at the start of this
journey with Gateway. We have seen
a lot of success in this area, and it is now
firmly embedded in the organisation.”

Confronting the next era

of digital transformation
For Innovation Group, digital
transformation has included a wide
range of initiatives in addition to
launching the Gateway platform.
“Firstly we embarked on a cloud
migration program across the global
“With regard to the product suite, organisation,” James says. “We centralised
following the launch of our Gateway the technology team, modernised our
Motor Repair product, we recently tech stack, upgraded networks and
launched a new Gateway Fleet Repair introduced a new SaaS voice platform.
product and it’s exciting to see the “As a company we deliver tech-enabled
product set continue to grow,” James services to our clients and we support the
says. “We have a number of exciting new business with the technology needed
product launches planned for 2025.” to successfully deliver for clients.”
When launching new products and Looking ahead, James sees a range of
features, Innovation Group has built exciting opportunities for the company
a culture of launching new features and for Gateway, including continuing to
quickly, learning from MVPs and pilots. enhance the platform with Gen AI, and
“This was a cultural change which had focusing on bringing the platform to
to be adopted by both technology and new business lines and markets.

technologymagazine.com 113
114 January 2025
 CYBERSECURITY

RACE TO SHIELD

DATA FROM

TOMORROW’S

QUANTUM

CODE-BREAKERS

As NIST’s post-quantum standards roll out, tech firms

are scrambling to future-proof their encryption before
the quantum threat becomes reality

WRITTEN BY: MARCUS LAW

technologymagazine.com 115
 CYBERSECURITY

he looming threat of
quantum computing
poses a fundamental
challenge to modern
cryptography. Today’s
most widely-used
cryptographic systems,
including RSA and
Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC),
rely on mathematical problems that
are computationally intensive for
classical computers to solve. RSA’s
security, for instance, is based on the
difficulty of factoring large numbers,
while ECC depends on the discrete
logarithm problem.
However, quantum computers,
leveraging quantum mechanical
principles like superposition and
entanglement, could theoretically
break these systems with relative
ease. In 1994, Peter Shor developed
a quantum algorithm that could
efficiently factor large numbers and
compute discrete logarithms –
precisely the mathematical problems
that underpin current cryptographic
systems. This means that once
sufficiently powerful quantum
computers are built, they could
decrypt data that was encrypted confidential for many years, such as
using today’s standard methods. government secrets, personal medical
Particularly concerning is the records, or corporate intellectual
‘harvest now, decrypt later’ strategy, property. Even if quantum computers
where adversaries could be collecting are still years away, the need to protect
and storing currently encrypted data, against this future threat is immediate
waiting for quantum computers to and urgent.
become available to decrypt it. This With the National Institute of
poses a serious threat to sensitive Standards and Technology (NIST)
information that needs to remain publishing new PQC standards in

116 January 2025

2024, it’s more important than ever the cryptographic keys used in
for companies to begin to prepare a majority of today’s encryption
themselves for the potential impact methods, compromising our
of quantum computing on security – sensitive data.
especially as Thales research finds that Here, Technology Magazine hears
61% of organisations are yet to define from security experts on the NIST
a strategy for a post-quantum world. standards and the importance of
Indeed, quantum computing has being proactive – especially when
the potential to enable bad actors organisations are facing the next
to launch brute force attacks against generation of cybersecurity threats.

technologymagazine.com 117
 CYBERSECURITY

Todd Moore
Global Lead for Data Security
Thales

With NIST publishing new PQC

standards in August 2024, it’s more
important than ever for companies to
begin to prepare themselves for the
potential impact of quantum computing
on security – especially after Thales
research found 61% of organisations
are yet to define a strategy for
a post-quantum world.
Todd Moore is a respected
cybersecurity professional, with
over 28 years' experience in helping
Todd Moore,
Global Lead for Data Security,
organisations protect their most
Thales sensitive data.
Todd has deep understanding
of security challenges and defence
technologies, having spent almost two
decades with Harris Corporation. He
has a proven track record of developing
business cases and market analysis for
new security products and delivering
them to market. He routinely develops
strategies for new product development
and execution.
“It is critical for organisations to begin
securing their data and infrastructure
with these new standards. With risks
such as Harvest Now, Decrypt Later
attacks where cyber criminals steal and
store data in preparation for quantum
computing capabilities, it is essential
that organisations prepare immediately
for this unprecedented cryptographic
transformation by adopting crypto
agile solutions that support these
new Quantum-safe algorithms.”

118 January 2025

 CYBERSECURITY

Taher Elgamal
‘The Father of SSL’ and Senior Advisor
SandboxAQ

Cybersecurity threats such as

ransomware, Advanced Persistent
Threats (ATPs) and data leaks are
continuously evolving and growing
more sophisticated, and are now being
powered by advanced AI techniques.
Cryptography, being a foundational
component in cybersecurity
infrastructure, plays a pivotal role
in this landscape.
Taher Elgamal is a recipient of
the RSA Conference 2009 Lifetime
Achievement Award, and he is
recognised as the “father of SSL,”
the Internet security standard Secure
Sockets Layer. Taher has been issued
several patents in online security,
payments and data compression. Taher
founded many companies, including
NokNok Labs, InfoSec Global and
Securify. He previously was the director
of engineering at RSA Security Inc. Prior
to that, Taher served as Chief Scientist
at Netscape Communications from
1995 to 1998 where he was a driving
force behind SSL.
“The NIST PQC Standardisation
marks a critical advancement in
securing our digital infrastructure.
By adopting these standards, we
safeguard sensitive data, ensure
Taher Elgamal,
privacy, and maintain trust in digital Senior Advisor,
communications. This proactive SandboxAQ
approach not only prepares us for
the quantum era but also fortifies
our current cybersecurity measures.”

technologymagazine.com 119
 CYBERSECURITY

Roger Grimes
Data-Driven Defence Evangelist
KnowBe4

“Every organisation will be

undergoing a huge Y2K-like post-
quantum cryptographic migration...
whether they realise it or not, that
will likely impact every piece of
software and firmware they have in
their environment protecting critical
data. Every organisation, if they have
not already done so...and most have
not done so...will be creating a multi-
year post-quantum migration project
Roger Grimes, involving far more resources than
Data-Driven
Defence Evangelist,
they have experienced in decades.
KnowBe4 “NIST has been telling organisations
over and over for nearly a decade to
create a post-quantum migration
project. What was needed for most
organisations to care and start
creating their very necessary,
required, post-quantum project,
was THIS announcement.
“NIST announcing the ‘official’ NIST
post-quantum standards is the policy
equivalent of a long-awaited starter's
pistol firing the shot that allows
everyone to start their own post-
quantum migration products.
Now there is no reason for anyone
to not have a post-quantum
migration project. The only question
now might be why you haven't
already started yours?”

120 January 2025

 CYBERSECURITY

Dr Adam Everspaugh
Cryptography Expert
Keeper Security

“The finalisation of NIST’s Quantum

Resistant Cryptography (QRC) standards
is a pivotal step forward in safeguarding
digital environments against the
threat posed by quantum computing.
Quantum computing has the potential
to revolutionise various fields but also
threatens current public key encryption
methods. The primary attack of concern
is store-and-crack, where attackers
may capture and store encrypted
information and web traffic now,
and then, when quantum computers
are available, break the encryption
to read the data that is stored. If this
information is still valuable in the
future, attackers can use it to exploit
sensitive systems.
“At Keeper Security, we are actively
tracking these developments and
updating our product roadmap to
ensure we’re ready to integrate these
cryptographic standards as soon as
production software libraries fully
support them.
“The challenges for IT and
security teams are significant, from
ensuring compatibility with existing
systems to managing the transition
of cryptographic keys. However, Dr Adam
the urgency of this shift cannot be Everspaugh,
Cryptography
overstated. The potential for quantum Expert,
computers to break widely used Keeper Security
encryption algorithms is a very real
threat that could compromise the
security of sensitive data worldwide.”

technologymagazine.com 121
 CYBERSECURITY

Dr Colin Soutar
MD of Deloitte & Touche LLP and a
Global Quantum Cyber Readiness Leader
Deloitte

After the NIST announced three

encryption standards that are believed to
be resistant to decryption from quantum
computers, it has been estimated that
20 billion digital devices globally will
likely need to be upgraded or replaced
with quantum-safe alternatives. While
quantum computers may not be widely
available for another decade, updating
cryptographic algorithms is a lengthy
process that can also take 10 years or
Dr Colin Soutar,
Managing Director,
more. Therefore, planning for quantum
Deloitte cyber readiness must begin now.
“Quantum computing could be
significantly beneficial to society,
delivering breakthroughs in drug
discovery and financial modeling,
however, quantum computing could
also undermine numerous existing
public-key encryption methods if
realized on a large scale,” Dr Colin
Soutar commented.
“For many years, Deloitte has been
activating the quantum cyber readiness
industry, including collaborating with
the World Economic Forum to establish
a quantum security program in 2021,
and hosting a number of discussions
with leaders from both government and
industry. We need to look at this topic
less about speculating exactly when
a CRQC will be available, and more
about what organisations can do to
prepare for it.”

122 January 2025

 CYBERSECURITY

Chris Hickman
CSO
Keyfactor

“Security leaders are well aware of

the threats to come with quantum
computing – with each day we get
closer to a quantum computer that
could break current encryption
methods that every business relies
on. Encryption protects everything
from banking and retail transactions
to valuable business data and does
not discriminate.
“With the finalisation of the first
suite of NIST cryptographic algorithms,
organisations now have the tools to
safeguard against the quantum threat.
While Q-day may seem years away,
security leaders need to keep in mind
that AI capabilities increase the need
to transition to PQC algorithms.
The finalisation of NIST’s three
of four algorithms marks the starting
line in the race to secure against the
threat of quantum computers for
many – and the preservation of digital
trust is on the line. Now, more than
ever, it will be vitally important for
organisations of all sizes to adequately
plan and test for the adoption of
these new algorithms, which includes
conducting security assessments to
verify how prepared their supply chains
to ensure a smooth transition over
Chris Hickman,
the coming years.” CSO,
Keyfactor

technologymagazine.com 123
 DATA & ANALYTICS

AWS
RE:INVENT:
NOVA MODELS
SHOWCASE
AMAZON’S
AI STRATEGY
With the dust finally settling on 2024’s edition
WRITTEN BY:
of AWS re:Invent, we highlight what the KITTY WHEELER
announcements mean for Amazon’s AI strategy

124 January 2025

 Matt Garman,
AWS CEO, on stage at
AWS re:Invent 2024
Name Surname,
Job Title,
Company Name
(Use this caption for
bleeding images)
 DATA & ANALYTICS

W
ith the evolution of AI in
full swing, organisations
are realising and
grappling with its
opportunities and challenges.
Against a backdrop of increasing
regulatory scrutiny, with the EU AI Act
coming into force and similar legislation
being considered in the US, UK and
Asia-Pacific regions, major technology
companies are competing to establish
their positions in this endlessly
advancing market.
Where concerns about AI safety and
ethics intersect with unprecedented
technological advancement, several
key trends have emerged.
First, there’s a growing emphasis on
responsible AI development, particularly
following the 2023 AI Safety Summit and
subsequent international agreements.
Second, there’s increasing pressure
for AI solutions that can operate within
varying regulatory frameworks across
different jurisdictions.
Third, businesses worldwide are
seeking more cost-effective and efficient
ways to implement AI technologies,
especially amid economic uncertainties
and rising computing costs.
Aiming to address these challenges
with not just one but a multitude of
new AI models, Amazon has announced
its Nova family of AI models in the
company’s AI strategy.
What sets the Nova announcement
apart is its breadth and ambition with
not just multiple models, but with each
model being optimised for different use
cases and computational requirements.

technologymagazine.com 127
ANDY JASSY “[Developers] want
TITLE: CEO
COMPANY: AMAZON
better latency.
INDUSTRY: TECHNOLOGY They want lower
Andy Jassy is the President and CEO cost. They want
of Amazon, having taken over from
Jeff Bezos in July 2021. He joined
the ability to do
Amazon in 1997 and founded Amazon fine-tuning”
Web Services (AWS) in 2006. Jassy led
ANDY JASSY,
AWS to become a $40 billion business CEO,
before becoming CEO of Amazon. AMAZON
 DATA & ANALYTICS

While earlier generations of foundation better latency. They want lower cost.
models demonstrated impressive They want the ability to do fine-tuning.”
capabilities, their practical implementation As a result, Amazon has invested
often faced challenges related to cost, billions in Anthropic, as well as
latency and integration complexity. launching Amazon Q, the AI-powered
Amazon’s Nova lineup appears assistant for work that can be
specifically designed to address customised for specific company needs.
these pain points. Amazon Q combines Amazon’s AI
capabilities to help businesses boost
Amazon’s AI investment strategy productivity and transform their
In the lead up to Amazon developing operations, designed to assist with
its own AI models with Nova, it has tasks such as coding, testing, upgrading,
made significant investments in troubleshooting and security scanning
other AI companies. for developers, while business users
Andy Jassy, Amazon’s CEO says that can use it for tailored conversations,
developers have a list of desires when problem-solving, content generation
it comes to improving AI: “They want and task streamlining.

technologymagazine.com 129
 THE TOP 100

COMPANIES
OUT NOW
Celebrating innovative and
forward-thinking companies elevating
the industry day in, day out

Read Now
 DATA & ANALYTICS

Now, with external investments Nova Canvas is an image generation

alongside Nova, Amazon’s AI investment model, while Nova Reel is designed
strategy demonstrates an approach to for video generation.
AI development and implementation According to Amazon, these
that combines in-house innovation models have been benchmarked
with strategic partnerships to meet against competitors and perform
the diverse needs of businesses in competitively or better in
the global AI market. various tasks.
The company claims that its models
Nova lineup and capabilities offer superior price performance,
Announced on stage at re:Invent, the with costs at least 75% lower than
Amazon Nova lineup includes several comparable models available through
models designed for different purposes. its Amazon Bedrock service.
Nova Micro is a text-only model Nova Micro, for instance, was
focused on speed and low cost, found to be equal or better than
whereas Nova Lite, Pro and Premier both Meta’s LLaMa 3.1 8B and
are multimodal models capable of Google’s Gemini 1.5 Flash-8B on
processing text, images and videos. all applicable benchmarks.

ROHIT PRASAD
TITLE: SVP OF ARTIFICIAL
GENERAL INTELLIGENCE
COMPANY: AMAZON
INDUSTRY: TECHNOLOGY

Rohit Prasad is the Senior Vice

President and Head Scientist for
Artificial General Intelligence at
Amazon, leading the company’s
generative AI efforts. He previously
ed Amazon’s Alexa team,
transforming how millions interact
with voice technology. Prasad reports
directly to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy,
reflecting the company’s ambitious
AI plans.
 DATA & ANALYTICS

With a speed of 210 output tokens

per second, it is positioned as ideal for
applications requiring fast responses.
Meanwhile, Nova Lite has shown
competitive performance against
other models in its intelligence class,
performing equal or better on 17 of
MATT GARMAN
19 benchmarks compared to TITLE: CEO
OpenAI’s GPT-4o mini, and on 17 COMPANY: AWS
of 21 benchmarks compared to
INDUSTRY: TECHNOLOGY
Google’s Gemini 1.5 Flash-8B.
It excels in understanding videos, Matt Garman is the CEO of Amazon
charts and documents, as measured Web Services (AWS), overseeing
by benchmarks such as VATEX, cloud computing strategies.
ChartQA and DocVQA. He joined Amazon in 2006, previously
Nova Pro also demonstrated leading AWS Sales and Marketing.
strong performance, matching He holds an MBA from Northwestern
or surpassing OpenAI’s GPT-4o University and degrees from Stanford.
on 17 of 20 benchmarks and
Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro on
16 of 21 benchmarks.
It particularly excels at
instruction-following and “I have never
multimodal agentic workflows. been as excited
Integration and customisation today as I am
Amazon is positioning its Nova about the future”
models as highly integrable with
existing systems. MATT GARMAN,
CEO,
The models are designed to work
AWS
seamlessly with Amazon Bedrock,
allowing customers to experiment
with different models to find the
best fit for their applications.
The company is also offering
customisation options, including
fine-tuning and distillation.
Fine-tuning allows customers
to improve model accuracy
using their own data, while

132 January 2025

SAM HUBBARD
TITLE: XXXXXXX
COMPANY: XXXXX
INDUSTRY: XXXXXX
XXXX
LOCATION: XXXXXXXX

John Newton, an expert at the Carbon

Trust, leads the Carbon Label Delivery
Programme. With 20 years of business
strategy experience, mainly in ICT,
he helps organisations implement
sustainability agendas. An alumnus
of the University of Cape Town,
he emphasises the importance of
transparently communicating climate
impacts through the Carbon Label.

Matt Garman,
CEO,
AWS
 DATA & ANALYTICS

APPLE LEVERAGES AWS TO ACCELERATE AI TRAINING

One of AWS’s most prevalent language models, diffusion models

collaborations is with Apple, driving and adapters to offer a range
innovation in cloud-based services of capabilities, from improved
and AI, according to Benoit Dupin, writing tools to image creation.
Apple’s Senior Director of Machine To support the development
Learning and AI, as he joined Matt and training of these sophisticated
Garman, CEO of AWS on stage in AI systems, Apple relies on AWS’s
his re:Invent keynote. computing infrastructure.
Benoit emphasised the importance AWS provides scalable, efficient
of AWS in Apple’s technological and high-performing accelerator
advancements: “AWS’ services have technologies that are essential
been instrumental in supporting throughout Apple’s AI and machine
our scale and growth and most learning lifecycle, from model
importantly, in delivering incredible fine-tuning to optimisation
experiences for our users.” and deployment.
This partnership has been Overall, the collaboration has
transformative in powering yielded significant efficiency
Apple Intelligence, a suite of gains for Apple.
advanced features integrated For instance, by transitioning
across Apple devices that to AWS’s Graviton and Inferentia2
enhances user experience instances from x86 and G4 instances,
through personalised assistance. Apple has achieved over 40%
Apple Intelligence further leverages efficiency improvements in some
the company’s proprietary large of its machine learning services.

134 January 2025

 Benoit Dupin,
Senior Director of
Machine Learning and AI,
Apple
distillation enables the creation
of smaller, more efficient models
based on larger, more capable ones. THE NOVA AI FAMILY:
The Nova models additionally
support over 200 languages
AMAZON NOVA MICRO
and offer extensive context
length capabilities. AMAZON NOVA LITE
For example, Nova Micro AMAZON NOVA PRO
supports a context length of 128K
AMAZON NOVA PREMIER
input tokens, while Nova Lite and
Pro support 300K tokens or 30 AMAZON NOVA CANVAS
minutes of video processing. AMAZON NOVA REEL
Amazon plans to support
context lengths of over 2 million
input tokens in early 2025.

136 January 2025

 DATA & ANALYTICS

“Inside Amazon,
we have about
1,000 Gen AI
applications in
motion and we’ve
had a bird’s-eye
view of what
application
builders are still
grappling with”
ROHIT PRASAD,
SVP OF ARTIFICIAL
GENERAL INTELLIGENCE,
AMAZON

Future developments These include a speech-to-speech

and industry adoption model scheduled for release in Q1
Amazon has outlined plans 2025 and a multimodal-to-multimodal
for future AI model releases. model capable of processing and
“Our new Amazon Nova models are generating content across various
intended to help with these challenges formats, expected in mid-2025.
for internal and external builders and The company is also developing a
provide compelling intelligence and novel model that can take text, images,
content generation while also delivering audio and video as input, and generate
meaningful progress on latency, cost- outputs in any of these modalities.
effectiveness, customisation, Retrieval As Amazon dubs, this “any-to-any”
Augmented Generation (RAG) and modality model, is designed to simplify
agentic capabilities”, Rohit Prasad, the development of applications that can
SVP of Amazon Artificial General perform a wide variety of tasks, such as
Intelligence explains. translating content from one modality to

technologymagazine.com 137
Matt Garman,
CEO,
AWS
 DATA & ANALYTICS

another, editing content and powering

AI agents that can understand and
generate all modalities.
Rohit summarises: “Inside Amazon,
we have about 1,000 Gen AI applications
in motion and we’ve had a bird’s-eye
view of what application builders are
still grappling with.”
Several companies have already
begun integrating Amazon Nova
models into their operations.
SAP is incorporating the models into
ts AI Core Gen AI hub, while Deloitte
plans to use the models to deliver AI
services to its global clients.
In the creative industry, companies like
Dentsu Digital, Musixmatch and 123RF are
utilising Amazon Nova Reel and Canvas
for video and image generation tasks.
Caylent, a cloud services company, is
utilising Amazon Nova models to provide
video understanding capabilities to
customers in media, sports and retail.
Palantir Technologies, meanwhile, is
integrating Amazon Nova Pro with its
AI Platform to enhance decision-making
across various industries, including
insurance and supply chain management.
“I have never been as excited today
as I am about the future”, Matt Garman
said on stage.
“We are at a seminal point. The amount
of innovation that we’re seeing out there
in the world is really exciting, and that’s not
just innovation that’s coming from AWS.
“I’m really excited about the innovation
that we’re seeing from customers,
from partners, from enterprises, from
incredible startups – there has never
been a better time to be innovating.”

technologymagazine.com 139
 COMPANY SPOTLIGHT

pioneers mass timb

new California tech
Google’s Sunnyvale facility promises 96% carbon reduction compared to
traditional construction methods, marking shift in Silicon Valley architecture

WRITTEN BY: MARCUS LAW

140 January 2025

ber in
h campus
technologymagazine.com 141
142 January 2025
 COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
Google has
unveiled its first
mass timber
office building in
California

oogle has entered its third

decade of environmental
initiatives as the
technology company
pursues its target to
eliminate carbon emissions from its
global operations by 2030. The company,
which provides search, cloud computing
and digital advertising services to billions
of users worldwide, aims to power its
facilities with carbon-free energy
around the clock.
“Google’s been working on this since
the company was founded. We’re in
our third decade of climate action
and our programme and our plans are
always evolving,” Adam Elman, Head of
Sustainability EMEA at Google said in an
interview at Sustainability LIVE London
2024. “We’ve got very ambitious targets.
We’re aiming for net zero by 2030 that’s
supported by our goal to move to what
we call 24/7 carbon-free energy.
So sourcing clean energy locally
every hour of every single day.”
The company’s environmental strategy
extends beyond energy procurement
to its approach to construction and
workplace design. According to Adam,
recent research conducted with Boston
Consulting Group suggests that scaling
existing AI solutions could reduce global
greenhouse gas emissions by up to 10%
– equivalent to the European Union’s
total emissions.
The latest demonstration of Google’s
environmental strategy has emerged
in Sunnyvale, California, where the
company has unveiled its first mass
timber office building.

technologymagazine.com 143
 COMPANY SPOTLIGHT

The facility represents a departure from

Silicon Valley’s conventional glass and ADAM ELMAN
steel structures, and demonstrates TITLE: SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTOR
the company’s evolving approach COMPANY: GOOGLE
to sustainable construction.
INDUSTRY: SOFTWARE
“Today, we’re announcing a new office
DEVELOPMENT
that showcases the principles we’ve
long applied to our real estate: creating • Adam Elman leads Google’s
sustainable spaces that allow Googlers sustainability initiatives across
to do their best work,” says Scott Europe, Middle East and Africa as
Foster, Vice President of Real Estate Head of Sustainability for EMEA
& Workplace Services at Google.
• He brings over 18 years of
Mass timber construction experience driving sustainability
The 1265 Borregas facility utilises mass transformations at major
timber – an engineered wood product global companies
created by laminating multiple layers
of lumber into structural components
that can replace traditional steel and
concrete. This construction method
enables the building to store carbon
within its structure rather than
releasing it during manufacturing.
The building’s environmental impact
calculations indicate a 96% reduction
in embodied carbon emissions
compared to equivalent steel and
concrete structures, accounting for
carbon sequestration over time. Google
sourced all structural timber from Forest
Stewardship Council certified forests.

Workplace innovation
The facility incorporates several technical
innovations in environmental control.
An underfloor air distribution system
manages temperature regulation, while
automated wooden blinds adjust to
solar position using sensor technology
to maintain optimal lighting conditions.

144 January 2025

 Adam Elman,
Sustainability
Director,
Google

technologymagazine.com 145
 COMPANY SPOTLIGHT

2007
Google becomes carbon
neutral in its operations,
purchasing high-quality
carbon credits to
offset emissions

2017
Google begins matching
100% of its global electricity
consumption with renewable
energy purchases annually

2020
Google announces its goal
to achieve 24/7 Carbon-Free
Energy by 2030, aiming to
power operations with clean
energy every hour of every day

146 January 2025

 2024
Google continues to pursue its 24/7
carbon-free energy goal, with 64% of
its electricity use matched with local
carbon-free sources on an hourly
basis in 2023

2023
Google matches 100% of its
annual electricity consumption
with renewable energy
purchases for the seventh
consecutive year

2021
Google sets a target to achieve
net-zero emissions across its
entire value chain, including
operations and supply chain,
by 2030

technologymagazine.com 147
 Scott notes: “Research suggests Environmental
people are able to focus and do technology integration
their best work when surrounded The facility’s environmental
by nature. A building like this one credentials extend beyond its
achieves this by keeping the timber structure. The building operates
exposed inside and outside of the on an all-electric system and has
space, while providing natural daylight achieved LEED Platinum certification
and sweeping views of the Northern – the highest level of recognition for
California landscape.” sustainable construction. Rooftop
The building features dedicated solar panels contribute to the
zones for various work modes, facility’s power requirements.
including collaboration spaces The construction process itself
equipped with video conferencing demonstrated efficiencies. “One of
technology for hybrid teams and the biggest advantages of mass timber
areas designed for concentrated construction is that pre-fit building
individual work. parts accelerate structural assembly,

148 January 2025

 COMPANY SPOTLIGHT

10%
The potential reduction
in global greenhouse gas
emissions through scaling
existing AI solutions,
according to Google’s
research with Boston
Consulting Group (equivalent
to the EU’s total emissions)

The grounds incorporate three acres of

pollinator-friendly native California plants,
including coast live oak and California
sagebrush, supporting local biodiversity.
The site pays homage to Silicon Valley’s
history with public artwork referencing
WATCH NOW Atari, the pioneering gaming company
Google Sustainability: previously headquartered at this location.
Our global progress to transition “This building shows what’s possible
to a sustainable future when you combine sustainability and
construction efficiency into an office
building, while also prioritising employee
resulting in less construction traffic wellbeing. We hope that others in the
and on-site construction noise, while industry will join us in this approach in
also decreasing construction waste,” support of a more sustainable future,”
Scott explains. says Scott.

technologymagazine.com 149