REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Shell
International Petroleum Company Limited and Microsoft Corporation,
building on a history of three decades of working together, are
embarking on a new strategic alliance to support progress towards a
world with net-zero emissions. This builds on the strong foundation
of decades of technology collaboration between the two companies.
This type of strategic alliance is a model for how companies can
work together to achieve their net-zero ambitions.
"Microsoft and Shell both have rich histories of innovation and
bold ambitions to decarbonise," said Huibert Vigeveno, Downstream Director of Shell.
"We are proud of the work we have already done together. Our
strategic alliance will enable us to push the boundaries of what
can be achieved. We believe we can unlock tremendous progress for
Shell, Microsoft, our customers and beyond."
"We are building on our work with Shell by establishing a deeper
alliance to further accelerate innovation in support of
decarbonization and energy industry transition," said Judson Althoff, executive vice president of
Microsoft's Worldwide Commercial Business. "Cross-industry
collaborations like this are fundamental to help society reach
net-zero emissions by 2050, and digital transformation is key to
tackling this important issue, within the energy sector and
beyond."
This strategic alliance will support Shell's ambition to be a
net-zero emissions energy business by 2050, or sooner, in step with
society and its customers. Shell's supply of renewable energy will
help Microsoft deliver on its renewable energy supply goals and its
broader ambition to be carbon negative by 2050.
It is expected that over time the alliance will enable the two
companies to achieve even more together.
Highlights of the expanded alliance include:
- Shell will supply Microsoft with renewable energy, helping
Microsoft to meet its commitment to having a 100% supply of
renewable energy by 2025;
- The two companies will continue working together on artificial
intelligence (AI), which has already driven transformation across
Shell's operations through access to real-time data insights,
contributing to worker and onsite safety, and delivering
efficiencies that have helped reduce Shell's carbon emissions;
- Shell and Microsoft will work together on new digital tools so
Shell can offer its suppliers and customers effective support in
reducing their carbon footprints;
- Shell and Microsoft will explore working together to help
advance the use of sustainable aviation fuels; and
- The companies will use Microsoft's Azure cloud computing system
and data from Shell assets to strengthen operational safety, by
improving risk analysis, prediction and prevention.
Shell and Microsoft have already achieved important results through
their long-standing technology collaboration:
-
- Shell and Microsoft have been working together on AI for three
years. So far this year, 47 AI-powered proprietary applications
have been deployed across Shell's businesses. Technologies such as
Real-Time Production Optimisation have already shown potential to
reduce CO2 emissions in Shell's liquefied natural gas
(LNG) operations. The companies are committed to accelerating their
AI work together to drive efficiencies and reduce emissions.
- Shell and Microsoft have worked together to develop
technologies that help keep Shell's workers and sites safe. For
example, Microsoft Azure powers Shell's Autonomous Integrity
Recognition (AIR) system, which uses image recognition algorithms
to detect when equipment or parts of a site are susceptible to
corrosion.
The alliance will deepen the co-operation that has existed
between the two companies for more than three decades. It will
enable Microsoft and Shell to accelerate the progress they are
making on reducing carbon emissions.
About Royal Dutch Shell
plc
Royal Dutch Shell plc is
incorporated in England and
Wales, has its headquarters in
The Hague and is listed on the
London, Amsterdam, and New
York stock exchanges. Shell companies have operations in
more than 70 countries and territories with businesses including
oil and gas exploration and production; production and marketing of
liquefied natural gas and gas to liquids; manufacturing, marketing
and shipping of oil products and chemicals and renewable energy
projects. For further information, visit www.shell.com.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft)
enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud
and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and
every organization on the planet to achieve more.
Cautionary note
The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly
owns investments are separate legal entities. In this release
"Shell", "Shell Group" and "Royal Dutch
Shell" are sometimes used for convenience where references
are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc
and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and
"our" are also used to refer to Royal Dutch
Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who
work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is
served by identifying the particular entity or entities.
''Subsidiaries'', "Shell subsidiaries" and "Shell companies" as
used in this release refer to entities over which Royal Dutch Shell plc either directly or
indirectly has control. Entities and unincorporated arrangements
over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as
"joint ventures" and "joint operations", respectively. Entities
over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor
joint control are referred to as "associates". The term "Shell
interest" is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or
indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or
unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all
third-party interest.
It is important to note that as of September 22, 2020, Shell's operating plans and
budgets do not reflect Shell's net-zero emissions ambition. Shell's
aim is that, in the future, its operating plans and budgets will
change to reflect this movement towards its new net-zero emissions
ambition. However, these plans and budgets need to be in step with
the movement towards a net zero emissions economy within society
and among Shell's customers.
This release contains forward-looking statements (within the
meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and
businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All
statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be
deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements are statements of future expectations that are based on
management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known
and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results, performance or events to differ materially from those
expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking
statements include, among other things, statements concerning the
potential exposure of Royal Dutch
Shell to market risks and statements expressing management's
expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and
assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by
their use of terms and phrases such as "aim", "ambition",
''anticipate'', ''believe'', ''could'', ''estimate'', ''expect'',
''goals'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''objectives'', ''outlook'',
''plan'', ''probably'', ''project'', ''risks'', "schedule",
''seek'', ''should'', ''target'', ''will'' and similar terms and
phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future
operations of Royal Dutch Shell and
could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed
in the forward-looking statements included in this release,
including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil
and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell's products; (c)
currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e)
reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry
competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks
associated with the identification of suitable potential
acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and
completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in
developing countries and countries subject to international
sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments
including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k)
economic and financial market conditions in various countries and
regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation
and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental
entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and
delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; (m) risks associated
with the impact of pandemics, such as the COVID-19 (coronavirus)
outbreak; and (n) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is
provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed
previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements
contained in this release are expressly qualified in their entirety
by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this
section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking
statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results
are contained in Royal Dutch Shell's Form 20-F for the year ended
December 31, 2019 (available
at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov). These
risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements
contained in this release and should be considered by the
reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date
of this release, September 22, 2020. Neither Royal Dutch Shell plc
nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly
update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new
information, future events or other information. In light of these
risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied
or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this
release.
We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this
release that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the
SEC. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our
Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC
website www.sec.gov.
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SOURCE Microsoft Corporation