IBM and UNDP partnered to co-create solutions, saying they would improve open public access to complicated clean energy information and advanced technologies.

IBM, hardware and software company, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced the debut of new interactive energy models on UNDP's global GeoHub platform. 

The solutions make use of technologies such as the IBM Watson AI and data platform to allow users — from national and community policymakers to the general public — to analyse complex energy issues using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology and access a wide range of resources, thereby promoting data-driven decision-making toward a just transition.

UNDP and IBM collaborated for two years under the IBM Sustainability Accelerator initiative. 

The two partnered to co-create solutions, saying they would improve open public access to complicated clean energy information and advanced technologies, while also offering important energy resources for policymakers, governments, and journalists.  

Justina Nixon-Saintil, IBM vice president and chief impact officer, commented: “Bringing together UNDP’s knowledge and global leadership in sustainable development and IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI and hybrid cloud, we are proud to unveil solutions that demonstrate the power of technology to make a lasting, positive impact on our environment and in our communities.”

“By making innovative models freely accessible to the public, we aim to empower leaders, organisations and community members alike with the insights to make impactful energy decisions around the world.”

GeoHub, part of UNDP's Data Futures Exchange, is a centralised ecosystem for geospatial data and services. It offers a platform for conveniently uploading, visualizing, and analysing datasets that combine time-oriented and geographic data with satellite imagery. 

According to the UNDP, GeoHub also advocates for a granular, localised, and evidence-based approach to development challenges and integrated policymaking, ranging from determining subnational distribution of electricity access to assessing communities' vulnerability to the effects of climate change over time.

“The solutions we’ve co-created provide a credible evidence base to help countries make meaningful and practical progress towards a just energy transition. Net-zero investment and people centred development strategies are fundamental to accelerate the SDGs,” said Laurel Patterson, head of the UNDP SDG Integration Team, UNDP Bureau for Policy and Programme Support.