Bethany Alvaro 
A new memorandum of understanding (MOU) between NTT DATA, Hitachi, and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is set to see the acceleration of Green Transformation (GX) in Australia.
Under the MOU, UTS will serve as a “Living Lab” to deliver real-world-tested digital developments of GX solutions to environmental concerns.
“Bringing research to life is something we are incredibly passionate about at NTT DATA, and it truly is the heartbeat of our collaboration with UTS and Hitachi,” said David McKeering, executive managing director of NTT DATA.
“We have always believed that technology should serve society, and when it is able to be proven and perfected in the environments where people live and work, the impact is profound.”
The Living Lab will be used by students, academics, and industry professionals to accelerate the production of “commercial-ready decarbonisation tools for Australian organisations”.
Hitachi’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data management tool, EcoAssist-Enterprise, is the first initiative to see localisation, testing, and development at UTS as a result of this collaboration.
EcoAssist-Enterprise has the ability to be integrated into environmental frameworks, such as the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS), to then validate and visualise the energy consumption of a building.
The tool is then embedded into NTT DATA’s AI-based air conditioning system, HUCAST, that uses AI to adjust internal temperatures based on outdoor weather and human occupancy in a building.
“By combining our knowledge, experience, and expertise, we are creating more than just a solution; we are creating a blueprint for the future,” said McKeering.
“We believe that this collective approach, merging technology, data, and research, is the only way to tackle the complex challenges of urban sustainability at scale.”
Digital innovations like these seek to expand GX across many sectors, with industry collaborations such as this MOU representing a greater dedication to quelling environmental concerns in the commercial sphere as Australia continues to work towards a 43 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.
“As our economy and population continue to grow, the need for Green Transformation becomes an urgent priority,” McKeering said.
“With ambitious government targets and new policies now in place, large-scale decarbonisation is an absolute necessity for our future, and an essential path we must all navigate together.”