Tag: Microsoft

Office EU promises to protect European companies from US data sovereignty threat

Stuart Mitchell

In 2025, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague decided to move its internal software system away from US tech giant Microsoft and onto an independent European open-source alternative provider.  This was in response to ongoing data sovereignty threats from the United States government, which uses its powerful Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act to compel US tech companies to share data to aid criminal investigations – even if that data is held by foreign organisations. The US has also recently imposed sanctions on high-profile ICC judges,…

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Launching the Green Industrial Grids Association to accelerate grid modernisation across Europe

Stuart Mitchell

A leading group of Europe’s energy users and grid technology innovators today launched the Green Industrial Grids Association (GIGA). The association has been created to support a fundamental transformation of Europe’s power system by accelerating the development of modern and digital electricity grids. GIGA fills a gap by bringing together companies with shared electricity needs to provide practical, user-driven insights on grid access, planning and system modernisation, perspectives currently missing from Europe’s energy discussions. GIGA’s members include Amazon, Electra, Fastned, Google, Hitachi Energy, Linde, Meta, Metlen, Milence, Microsoft and Siemens…

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Iberdrola and Microsoft strengthen their partnership with two long-term PPAs for 150MW and the use of new global AI solutions

Stuart Mitchell

Microsoft and Iberdrola have announced a new partnership to deepen their work together on energy and artificial intelligence projects. The partnership builds on the success of previous initiatives and includes the signing of two long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) in Spain, the first that the two companies have signed in Europe. The agreement envisages expanding the use of Microsoft’s Azure computing and cloud platform, the deployment of Microsoft Copilot and security and regulatory compliance solutions to boost Iberdrola’s digital capabilities and promote the use of AI throughout the Group. Iberdrola has…

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Global impact investing grows long term but faces a funding slowdown in 2025

Stuart Mitchell

Compared to a decade ago, venture capital (VC) funding into global impact startups has grown 300%. But for the fifth year in a row, VC investment is in decline. Impact startups have raised $33B in 2025 so far, a projected 24% drop from the previous year. Rising geopolitical tensions, scarcer resources, and volatile prices have shifted the focus of funding from a long-term transformation agenda centred around the Sustainable Development Goals to renewed goals of national security, resilience and independence. This shift is the main takeaway from the State of…

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Stegra announces agreement with Microsoft, driving demand for near-zero emission steel

Stuart Mitchell

Stegra has entered into two new agreements with Microsoft. One is for the supply of steel with near-zero emissions to be used in Microsoft’s datacenters. In addition to the agreement for physical green steel, the companies have also entered into an agreement for the purchase of environmental attribute certificates tied to production from Stegra’s manufacturing facility in Boden, Sweden. This agreement is the first-of-its-kind in the steel industry designed to help drive global demand for green steel. After investing in Stegra in 2023 through its Climate Innovation Fund, Microsoft is…

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