Our sustainable digital transformation
We have pledged to reduce emissions from our own operations and facilities to net zero by 2030, and to play a leading role in enabling the sectors in which we operate to reach net zero by 2050. Our IntelligentEngine platform is using Microsoft Azure, Azure Databricks and Power BI to obtain data insights that will help us radically decarbonise our operations and those in the aviation industry.
We have been pioneering the power that matters for more than 100 years and doing so for the next 100 years will require a transition to new ways of working. Rachael Everard, Head of Sustainability, Rolls-Royce, says: "We want to be around for 100 years more, to achieve that we will need to decarbonise at pace," she adds: "We operate in some of the most critical industries, but also where reducing carbon emissions is hardest. This makes our innovation in these sectors more important as the world transitions to a net zero carbon future - we must rise to the challenge."
Our partnership with Microsoft is helping us deliver on our promise of net zero by 2050 and deliver excellence to our customers by:
Increasing our data volume
Our work with Microsoft has enabled the storage and analysis of huge volumes of data to better understand the operating environment of our engines.
Benjamin Wilkinson, Head of Technology at Rolls-Royce, explains how our partnership with Microsoft has helped resolve the issue of managing large amounts of data. "The magnitude of data volume and processing power that we needed was just not really possible or feasible with an on-premises hosted infrastructure. However, since using Azure we have transitioned from being able to run a single simulation at a time, to running at least 100 simulations simultaneously."
Delivering new insights using Microsoft Azure
We are using artificial intelligence, machine learning and, advanced analytics to create new insights and to support our engineers in doing their job better. We can also support our customers by being able to "use digital insights to optimise the kind of operations that our customers use as well, such as reducing fuel," adds Wilkinson.
Treating every engine as an individual
At Rolls-Royce we treat every engine as an individual. We know how it's been built, maintained, and operated. Our work with Microsoft has allowed us to tailor operating and maintenance recommendations specifically for every engine.
This reduces waste. If it's had an easier operation, we can extend the time between inspections, the life of expensive components, and use less materials and energy in maintenance.
There is even less disruption for our customers, and we can advise on how to operate more efficiently and reduce emissions.
We never forget that data shared by our customers is their data. It's securely stored on the IntelligentEngine platform, used with their consent for mutual benefit.
Here's to a better, more sustainable future
The potential for the future is exciting. We have a unique role to play in helping our customers, the airlines that operate our engines, to reduce the carbon they produce. And it is also imperative for delivering our own net zero goals.
David Hunter, Azure Data & AI Lead at Microsoft, who has worked on this project for four years, says: "It is inspiring to see Rolls-Royce leveraging the Microsoft Azure platform to build more sustainable engines. We look forward to continuing to work together to drive further performance improvements while supporting Rolls-Royce to deliver on its net-zero carbon goals."
"The future of Rolls-Royce is really exciting, through partnerships like the one with Microsoft, we will deliver a net zero carbon future," concludes Everard.