Masdar City and Huawei collaborate to accelerate UAE’s net zero journey

On the sidelines of GITEX GLOBAL 2023, Masdar City, a ground-breaking sustainable urban community in Abu Dhabi, and Huawei, a leading global provider of information and communications technology infrastructure, announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support UAE’s journey to net zero.

The agreement was signed by Mohamed Al Breiki, Masdar City’s executive director of sustainable real estate and Safder Nazir, senior vice president, Public Sector, Huawei Middle East and Central Asia.

Masdar City-Huawei partnership

The partnership will lead to knowledge-sharing and capacity-building in net zero development, help reduce the carbon footprint of Masdar City’s information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, and promote the adoption of carbon-conscious ICT through Huawei’s Net Zero Campus Framework. The framework, released earlier this year, is designed to help organisations reduce the energy demand of ICT systems and operations while switching to clean energy.

A net zero energy campus is a campus that produces as much energy as it consumes from renewable sources, such as solar, wind, or biomass, typically measured over a year. Net zero campuses can reduce energy costs, improve space efficiency, enhance service experience and security, and support innovative industry development. They can also contribute to building environmentally conscious cities and achieving national and global climate goals.

Masdar City, already home to one of the largest clusters of LEED Platinum buildings in the world, has three net zero energy buildings currently under construction, the first of which will be completed in October 2023.

“Masdar City already develops the most high-performing, energy-efficient buildings in the region,” said Mohamed Al Breiki, Masdar City’s executive director of sustainable real estate.

“Optimising ICT systems is a vital step in reducing our energy demand even further and cutting tech-related carbon emissions. This is yet another way for us to help lead the way for other cities who want to chart a course to net zero.”

Huawei’s sustainability portfolio

Huawei is home to several low-carbon campuses and is creating new technologies to support sustainability as one of their strategic priorities. Huawei has a robust sustainability strategy and is positioning sustainability as one of its priorities and incorporating it into its overall development strategy.

Huawei solutions have helped customers generate over 443 billion kWh of sustainable power and save 13.6 billion kWh of electricity, reducing 210 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to planting 290 million trees.

“We are delighted to announce our partnership with Masdar City to accelerate the UAE’s journey to net zero,” said Safder Nazir, senior vice president, Public Sector, Huawei Middle East and Central Asia.

“Through this MoU, we aim to empower knowledge-sharing, promote the drive toward carbon-conscious ICT to reduce tech-related carbon emissions and promote Huawei’s Net Zero Campus Framework. We recognise that technological innovation plays a crucial role in sustainable development, and this collaboration with Masdar City will set a benchmark for the cities and campuses of the future.”

In addition to optimising existing ICT systems at Masdar City, Huawei will advise on Masdar City’s upcoming Command and Control Center, which will feed data related to energy, water, and waste management in all Masdar City-owned buildings to a central location. This will allow facilities managers to monitor and improve building performance in real-time.

“We have always known that technological innovation helps drive sustainable development,” said Al Breiki.

He added, “This new partnership will be a powerful enabler for decarbonization. We look forward to setting an even higher benchmark for how cities of the future will operate.”

Net Zero Campus Framework

Masdar City will look for opportunities to amplify Huawei’s Net Zero Campus Framework, launched earlier this year to support organisations that wish to decarbonise. Huawei has unveiled its Net Zero Campus Framework, a comprehensive guide for campuses to develop a roadmap to net zero carbon emissions by leveraging Huawei’s expertise in campus solutions.

The framework helps campuses assess their current situation and plan their transition to clean energy sources while meeting the growing demand for digital services and data processing.

The Net Zero Campus Framework helps advance sustainable development, a major priority for regional governments. Over 130 countries, covering 83 per cent of global emissions, have acknowledged the need for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

These include all the countries in the Middle East and Central Asia region.

The Huawei Net Zero Campus Framework recommends a stepwise approach towards a net zero campus. This could begin with a combination of smart campus that is, addressing campus operations, along with net zero energy.

A smart campus solution delivers an integrated experience while supporting a collaborative work environment, while the net zero energy campus implements key energy initiatives. These include reducing energy consumption, generating energy onsite, and actively managing energy consumption and energy trading.

Finally, there is the net zero carbon campus which strives to achieve a balance between the carbon emitted into the atmosphere and the carbon removed from it. This balance – or net zero – will happen when the amount of carbon we add to the atmosphere is no more than the amount removed.