• Prof. Dr. Ralf Herbrich
  Hasso Plattner Institute | Managing Director 

• Daniela Kluckert
  Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport

• Dr. Ceren Susut-Bennett
  U.S. Department of Energy | Associate Director of Advanced Scientific Computing Research

In today's world, sustainability has become critical for business growth and success. It is an undoubted fact that the ongoing digitalization and networking of devices and systems are significantly impacting our energy consumption and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that pollute our environment. The trend goes either way: Digitalization helps to reduce energy waste and CO₂ emissions in traditional sectors like logistics, manufacturing, energy production and distribution, agriculture, construction. Through the intelligent use of technology, companies can optimize and automate their processes to improve resource efficiency and waste reduction. On the other hand, digital technologies have immense and growing energy requirements themselves. The question arises regarding how we should deal with these energy-intensive technologies to minimize environmental damage by systematically measuring energy consumption of digital systems and innovate to reduce energy waste in developing and applying digital technologies. 

Moderation:    

• Prof. Dr. Ralf Herbrich
  Hasso Plattner Institute | Managing Director

Speaker:

• Prof. Dr. Johan Rockström
  Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research | Director
• Prof. Dr. Lynn H. Kaack
  Hertie School | Head of Computer Science and Public Policy
• Dr. Ceren Susut-Bennett
  U.S. Department of Energy | Associate Director of Advanced Scientific Computing Research
• John Platt
  Google | Distinguished Scientist
• Prof. Dr. Bernhard Schölkopf
  Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems | Director

• Dr. Philipp Herzig
  SAP SE | Head of Cross Product Engineering & Experience

The transportation sector is one of the foci of societal and environmental debate on energy consumption due to a broad range of central themes. The rise of global supply chains and an increased stakeholder consciousness has led to an increased interest in sustainability, influenced by a growing concern about climate change, its CO2 emissions, and the growing concern to become “lean and green.” AI is a crucial technology to de-carbonize transportation by providing data, gaining knowledge from data, planning, and automation. Moreover, AI is fundamental to shared mobility, AVs, EVs, and innovative public transit, which, with the right incentives, can enable significant reductions in GHG emissions.

Moderation:    

• Prof. Dr. Andreas Polze
  Hasso Plattner Institute | Chair for Operating Systems and Middleware

Speaker:

• Claudia Pohlink
  Deutsche Bahn | Head of Data Intelligence Center
• Carl-Magnus Norden
  Volta Trucks | Founder
• Prof. Dr. Patrick van der Smagt
  VW Group | Director of Machine Learning Research Lab

• Prof. Dr. Dirk Messner
  German Environment Agency | President

Cement and steel production account for over 10% of all global GHG emissions. The cement industry alone emits more GHGs than every country except the USA and China. AI can help minimize these emissions by reducing the need for carbon-intensive materials, transforming industrial processes to run on low-carbon energy, and even redesigning the chemistry of structural materials. To reduce the use of cement and steel, researchers have combined ML with generative design to develop structural products that require less raw material, thus reducing the resulting GHG emissions.   

Moderation:    

• Prof. Dr. Tilmann Rabl
  Hasso Plattner Institute | Chair for Data Engineering Systems

Speaker:

• Philipp Erler
  GROPYUS | Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer
• Thomas Quante
  Bosch | Chief Executive Officer of Bosch Building Technologies
• Prof. Dr. Christoph Reinhart
  Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Director of the Building Technology Program
• Prof. Dr. Lucio Soibelman
  University of Southern California | Director of the Foundation for Cross-Connection Control and Hydraulic Research

The revolution of energy production and manufacturing has immense potential for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and fostering a sustainable future. In the energy sector, the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformative capabilities, revolutionizing electricity systems by optimizing energy production, enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and minimizing environmental impact. AI-driven intelligent grids and energy management systems enable accurate energy consumption forecasting and real-time monitoring. Additionally, battery utilization plays a crucial role in storing renewable energy from sources such as solar and wind. AI facilitates the development of highly efficient next-generation batteries, including repurposing second-life electric vehicle batteries for stationary energy storage, thereby reducing the need for new batteries. Machine Learning algorithms support the complex task of refurbishing used batteries, unlocking the potential for widespread adoption of renewable energy sources.

Moderation:    

• Prof. Dr. Ralf Herbrich   
  Hasso Plattner Institute | Managing Director

Speaker:

• Dr. Nuria Gonzalez-Garcia
  betteries | Head of Research & Technology
• Vida Rozite
  International Energy Agency | Head of the Digital Demand Driven Electricity Networks (3DEN) initiative

In the manufacturing sector, the Internet of Things (IoT) emerges as a pivotal game-changer, enabling manufacturers to reduce carbon footprints, energy consumption, and waste, while simultaneously improving product quality and efficiency. Machine Learning (ML) assumes a central role in addressing challenges like overproduction and overstocking by utilizing predictive analysis of demand patterns and optimizing production processes, resulting in a more sustainable manufacturing process. The integration of advanced materials and improved manufacturing processes enabled by digitization and IoT significantly reduces waste and enhances efficiency in 3D additive manufacturing, leading to innovative and sustainable product development.

The convergence of AI and IoT in the energy and manufacturing sectors promises a revolutionary impact, transforming energy generation, distribution, consumption, manufacturing practices, and waste management. By harnessing the potential of these technologies, organizations can make significant contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, optimizing resource utilization, and fostering a sustainable future.

Moderation:    

• Dr. Michael Perscheid    
  Hasso Plattner Institute | Chair representative of Prof. Hasso Plattner

Speaker:

• Cordelia Thielitz
  Schneider Electric | Vice President of Strategy Europe Operations
• Prof. Dr. Klaus-Dieter Thoben
  Universität Bremen | Managing Director of “Bremer Institut für Produktion und Logistik” (BIBA)

All data traffic requires energy. The annual internet traffic has risen exponentially during the last few years and continues to rise steeply. Already today, the total carbon emissions of digital technologies surpass those of global air traffic by a factor of two. In 2019 all air traffic combined accounted for about one billion tons of carbon emissions and 2 % of overall emissions. In the same year, digital technologies emitted about 2 billion tons, or about 4 %, of all human-induced carbon dioxide. Humanity is at the beginning of a massive acceleration of digitization on a global scale. These are only rough estimates. We still need to learn more about how much energy digital systems such as AI, Big Data Analytics, Blockchain, and others consume. There still needs to be a standardized way to truthfully measure energy demand due to the heterogeneous nature of hardware and software stacks for the countless applications. To effectively tackle the issue of energy consumption of digital systems, we must find a way to measure it correctly. 

Moderation:    

• Prof. Dr. Tilmann Rabl  
  Hasso Plattner Institute | Chair for Data Engineering Systems

Speaker:

• Prof. Dr. Håkan Grahn
  Blekinge Institute of Technology | Head of Department of Computer Science
• Jens Gröger (tbc)
  Öko-Institut | Senior Researcher

• Prof. Dr. Ralf Herbrich
  Hasso Plattner Institute | Managing Director

• Prof. Dr. Ralf Herbrich
  Hasso Plattner Institute | Managing Director 

The AI Service Center Berlin-Brandenburg has the task of simplifying the use of and access to artificial intelligence. After the launch on November 1, 2022 and a start-up phase in 2023, the second phase begins with the cleanIT-Conference: After building the team and procuring a powerful infrastructure, the KISZ-BB goes into regular operation. At this event, we will present the range of services offered by KISZ-BB and officially put the infrastructure into operation.

Moderation:    

• Prof. Dr. Holger Karl
  Hasso Plattner Institute | Chair for Internet Technologies and Softwarization

Speaker:

• Dr. Peter Steinbach
  Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf | Team Lead Helmholtz Artificial Intelligence Consulting
• Filiz Elmas
  DIN - German Institute for Standardization | Head of Strategic Development Artificial Intelligence
• Dr. Feiyu Xu
  Nyonic | Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer

• Daniel Mes
  European Commission | Cabinet member of Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans on digital aspects of the European Green Deal

The rising carbon footprint of digitization is avoidable. Computer systems, which are based on the interrelationship of hardware and software, organized by algorithms, can be designed in many ways to produce the same outcome. Often unnecessarily complicated programming or computer systems design causes higher energy consumption when compared to more efficient algorithms. Innovative software architectures can achieve the same or slightly lower precision or data throughput while saving enormous energy. How algorithms and computer systems are designed matters because every algorithmic operation consumes energy. This can only be achieved if digital engineering follows the "Sustainability by Design paradigm." Therefore, we need increased public and engineering awareness of the digital carbon footprint, especially on wasteful algorithms' impact. Also, the trade-offs between precision/speed/data throughput and energy consumption must be brought to the forefront as a core principle of computer systems design to build digital energy-aware systems for the benefit of humanity.

Moderation:    

• Prof. Dr. Ralf Herbrich
  Hasso Plattner Institute | Managing Director

Speaker:

• Prof. Dr. Christian Mayr
  TUD Dresden University of Technology | Chair for Highly-Parallel VLSI Systems and Neuro-Microelectronics
• Dr. Sadasivan Shankar
  Stanford University | Research Technical Manager at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

• Prof. Dr. Ralf Herbrich
  Hasso Plattner Institute | Managing Director 
• Dr. Ceren Susut-Bennett
  U.S. Department of Energy | Associate Director

• Link to pledge

• Prof. Dr. Ralf Herbrich
  Hasso Plattner Institute | Managing Director