Credit: DIGITIMES
Google Cloud has focused its business operation in Taiwan on two fronts: help enterprises with the transition into net zero carbon emission and with digital transformation, according to Taiwan country director Tony Hsieh for Google Cloud.
For enterprises, innovation and cost reduction aren’t the sole priorities, talent cultivation and attaining ESG (environmental, social, governance) goals are equally important, Hsieh said.
In April 2022, Google Taiwan published a survey of Taiwanese enterprises in relation to sustainable operation, in which 83% of respondents regard recruitment and retention of talented employees a priority, while 79% of them also prioritize ESG goals and business model improvement.
Enterprises’ competitiveness depends not only on performance in cost but also on carbon emissions reduction activities, which include carbon inventorying, carbon pricing and carbon neutrality, Hsieh noted. However, enterprises are difficult to proceed with these actions without digital transformation, Hsieh indicated.
For enterprises, RE100 (100% of power demand relies on green energy) is concerned with the purchase of renewable energy and renewable energy certificates as well as the proportion of power consumption for carbon-free energy, Hsieh said. Google attained RE100 in 2017, and so far only 66 enterprises around the world have done so, Hsieh noted. Google became the world’s largest procurer of renewable energy in 2019, and aims to completely use carbon-free energy in 2030. In addition, Google also invests in remodeling buildings to increase the energy efficiency of architectures, including installation of scale-shaped PV panels on the top of new buildings, Hsieh indicated.
For enterprises, digital transformation is not merely single IT projects but becomes business projects, Hsieh said. Enterprises have transitioned from digitization of operation to digital transformation of operation since around 2010, and demand for digital transformation has significantly increased since 2017, especially after Covid-19 outbreak which has caused drastic changes in consumer behavior, Hsieh noted.
In the past, enterprises’ digitization of operation was mainly driven by corporate motivated by the reduction of operating cost. Now, digital transformation is based on consumers’ viewpoints and aimed to drive business growth through using digital tools and IT systems to improve operational processes.
