AI & Sustainability in Denmark
I attended the Digital Summit 2023 here in Copenhagen, Denmark on a cold fall day. The event is one of the largest academic based technology and business event in the Nordics. The main theme of the event this year, to no surprise, was Artificial Intelligence (AI) and there were some amazing presentations showcasing research from different stakeholders around the country.
Though the program was packed with lots of interesting presentations, I managed to attend only a couple in between networking. Below are the list of things I've discovered during this conference that you should keep an eye on.
Some interesting ecosystems here in Denmark:
GREENCOM
GreenCOM : is an innovation platform forming an ecosystem of companies, universities, industrial associations with direct links to authorities addressing the entire stack of the internet from the physical layer up to the network infrastructure.
The Master plan identifies 5 themes that are of major importance to the future green energy efficient communications infrastructure that supports vital functions:
1) Energy-efficiency, 2) Capacity (must be abundant), 3) Accessibility (online everywhere), 4) Critical Networks (low-latency, reliable), 5) Green Secure Services (energy-efficient encryption as enabler).
Question I wanted to asked but speakers ran out of time: Have they talked to Raghavendra Selvan, Professor at University of Copenhagen, on his approach to carbon foot print using AI models? I think this would be very useful in mapping their energy efficiency and critical networks moving forward. At the very least they would get interesting insights on how they can tackle their computations with ML & AI and if building new infrastructure is 'more green' than optimizing the existing ones.
EU AI AND ROBOTICS TESTING & EXPERIMENTAL FACILITIES (TEFS) - DANISH EDITION
CitCom AI: The European AI and Robotics Testing and Experimental Facilities (TEFs) are an initiative to build a permanent capacity to test and approve these new technologies before they hit the streets.
Three test sites in Denmark are:
1) DOLL Living Lab (innovation hub)
"We bridge manufacturers, public decision makers and knowledge institutions with a common interest in developing liveable, sustainable and resource efficient communities through the means of technology – addressing the needs of emerging smart and connected cities."
They aim to develop, test and validate processes and systems for preventive maintenance, sustainable practices and optimization to support the industry's needs and opportunities for acceleration, also via Big Data and AI.
3) Agency for Digital Government
Presented a The Danish National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence regarding use of AI in the public sector. Their main objectives are:
Denmark should have a common ethical and human-centered basis for AI
Danish researchers should research and develop AI
Danish businesses should achieve growth through developing and using AI
The public sector should use AI to offer world-class public services
My main concern in regards to the government sector is the lack of AI safety researchers, data scientists with an ethics background, and behavioral scientist in the mix for policy, intervention, testing and feedback loops to ensure alignment.
Notes to self: I have no doubt the Danish government and ecosystem will take some massive coordination and knowledge sharing effort to use resources wisely and effectively, but that will take time and hopefully an overview from a larger government body to ensure optimal cooperation and more importantly security in our data.
“I wonder if it's at all possible to build these networks and new applications with data security in mind, with some form of data sovereignty from BIG tech companies exploiting all the research going into this massive undertaking. Data democracy is great, but how can it be abused and monetized against us? These are the questions I have to ask myself as I see the growing need for more data sets.”
Energy Systems optimization and modeling
Fritz Henglein: Professor at Copenhagen University in Programming Languages and Theory of Computing
He presented a decentralized modeling and accounting framework, total resource accounting, that prevents digital greenwashing by ensuring that environmentally certified products cannot be produced out of uncertified ingredients, components and energy sources nor disappear in an unaccounted fashion.
Question I presented: How are we to account across international waters? There will be a need for standardized way of accounting and most likely third-party certification inspectors to verify that this accounting is legit. EU business and consumers may suffer high prices, if enforced, to be able to do business here in the EU market. This can result in some international conflicts but may also stir more local markets and innovation to meet this challenge. Though policy makers and EU businesses need to hold their ground to stay on course and push for greener accounting and production practices, we need to be mindful of the opportunity costs. We may also need to take some political negotiations at incremental stages to ensure business sustainability.
Curious to see how the EU moves forward to enforce the carbon emission reporting.
Further reading: CBAM The impact is likely to be the most severe on the EU's biggest trading partners — Russia, China, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Ukraine, India, South Korea, and the United States.
Danish Energy Grid
There were a couple of presentations here that I thought would be useful to combine. This was the most exciting thing for me to learn about as an energy nerd. In Denmark, they have democratized energy data for open use to the public. People and market participants can thus access real time data on the Danish energy consumer market to test their models, as well as encourage new market entrants and also open transparency for building efficiencies within the network.
Some great resources to check out:
1) Energinet - Danish Energy Grid :
Whether you are a consumer, entrepreneur, research scientist or business, Energi Data Service makes data available that allow you to broaden your understanding of the Danish energy system and develop new services to benefit society in general and the green transition.
Energi Data Service is developed and run by Energinet. Energinet owns the Danish electricity and gas grids and continuously develops these to incorporate more sustainable energy, maintain the security of supply and guarantee equal market access to the grids.
They are currently undergoing a complete overall on their IT platform
- Press release: FREMTIDENS ENERGISYSTEM ER DIGITALT (energinet.dk)
2) Energy Ministry of Denmark: Interactive map of wind energy and heating
Recent update on Danish key figures from 2021 for the development in production and consumption of energy, renewable energy, wind power, cogeneration, energy intensity and CO2 emissions.
My hope is they talk to Henrik C. Bylling and Trine Krogh Boomsma on their mathematical models to help with coupling of renewables and predictive forecasting for overload to help account for low capacity and optimization of the grid to help municipalities and consumers alike.
TLDR: Denmark is poised to become a global leader in responsible AI development, fueled by groundbreaking research collaborations between government entities and businesses. The Danish market has strong players due to digitalized public systems, energy grid, and consumer adaptation of new technologies. I am incredibly excited to witness the transformative impact AI will have on Denmark's future.
