Month: January 2025

On November 9, Lenovo, in collaboration with the Shanghai Natural History Museum, launched the “Awakening Earth’s Majestic Creatures with AI” digital exhibition. This groundbreaking project uses Lenovo’s proprietary spatial computing with AI-generated content (AIGC) technology to digitally resurrect three iconic specimens from the museum: the Yangtze River Baiji dolphin, the fin whale, and the mammoth. Visitors can immerse themselves in a VR experience, exploring the lifelike depictions of these majestic creatures in custom-themed environments, enhancing the educational and interactive aspects of the museum visit.

The story behind these iconic specimens

The selection of these iconic creatures—Qiqi the Baiji dolphin and the stranded fin whale—was driven by their remarkable histories and the emotional impact they leave behind.

On July 14, 2002, the world bid farewell to Qiqi, the only successfully captive-raised Baiji dolphin. A 25-year-old male, Qiqi passed away at the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Measuring 2.07 meters and weighing 98.5 kilograms, Qiqi was a unique ambassador for his critically endangered species.

Baiji dolphins, native to China’s Yangtze River, are among the rarest aquatic mammals, with fewer than 100 individuals remaining in the wild. Captured by fishermen in 1980, Qiqi spent nearly 23 years in captivity, providing invaluable data that advanced global knowledge of freshwater cetaceans. His story attracted visitors and media worldwide, raising awareness about the plight of his species.

Meanwhile, another unforgettable story unfolded on March 20, 2017, when a stranded fin whale was discovered at the confluence of the Yangtze River and Hangzhou Bay. This incident attracted widespread attention, as the whale’s unusual location sparked a deep public interest. Over the next three and a half years, the Shanghai Natural History Museum meticulously cleaned, degreased, and mounted the whale’s skeleton. Today, the 22-meter-long male fin whale stands as the longest fin whale skeleton in China.

AI enhances museum experience

These stories are not just about loss—they are about preserving the legacies of these magnificent creatures. The exhibition brings the stories to life through immersive VR experiences. Technology transports visitors to the depths of the ocean, the flowing waters of the Yangtze River, and the icy realms of the past, where they can witness these majestic creatures in their natural habitats.

Lenovo carefully designed three major themes for this digital showcase:

The Yangtze River Dolphin – The Vanished Goddess of the YangtzeThe Fin Whale – The Deepest-Dwelling Giant MammalThe Mammoth – A Beast from the Ice Age.

For example, the fin whale exhibit allows visitors to dive deep into the ocean and swim alongside the largest mammal on Earth, uncovering its migration patterns, feeding, and reproductive behaviors.

‘AI + Culture’

Lenovo harnessed the power of AI to digitally “revive” Earth’s majestic creatures, creating lifelike experiences that allow audiences to explore these animals as they once were. This was made possible through high-precision scans of the three specimens, combined with AI algorithms and manual restoration techniques, which helped create accurate digital models. This innovative approach not only preserved the creatures’ physical characteristics but also brought their stories to life, making the experience both educational and emotionally engaging.

The spatial computing with AIGC technology used in this project takes things a step further, processing large datasets quickly to create high-quality 3D models and interactive experiences. Lenovo is a pioneer in integrating spatial computing with AIGC, creatively transforming cultural heritage and paving the way for future innovation.

Mao Shijie, Vice President of Lenovo Group and Head of Lenovo Shanghai Research Institute, said, “As new technologies like AI continue to evolve, the fictional worlds of sci-fi are now becoming a reality. AI advancements are breaking down barriers to knowledge, allowing more people to directly experience and understand biodiversity. This ‘Awakening Earth’s Majestic Creatures with AI’ digital exhibition project is our new attempt at expanding ‘AI + Culture’ applications.”

Through this groundbreaking digital project, Lenovo demonstrates the potential of blending cutting-edge technology with the protection of the planet’s biodiversity. The “Awakening Earth’s Majestic Creatures with AI” exhibition serves as a powerful call to action—inviting the world to join the movement for biodiversity conservation, while envisioning a future where humanity and nature coexist in harmony.

WALLDORF, Germany, January 23, 2025 /3BL/ – SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) announced the general availability of the SAP Green Ledger solution, the most comprehensive carbon accounting system globally that integrates directly with customers’ financial data.

Part of SAP Sustainability solutions, SAP Green Ledger allocates carbon emissions to specific economic activities and transactions captured by ERP solutions from SAP. This innovation empowers organizations to accurately account for, analyze and report carbon footprints across products, services, and organizational units.

Addressing the growing consensus that decarbonization is required to combat climate change, SAP Green Ledger helps companies:

Track and account for carbon footprints in relation to their financial impactLower emissions alongside financial optimization and thus facilitate carbon budgetingEstablish carbon planning for carbon neutrality and net zero targetsBenchmark departments, business units and profit centers from both a financial and environmental perspectivePrepare for sustainability auditsImprove supplier-based processes to decrease carbon emissions in the supply chain (2025)

SAP Green Ledger builds on existing financial and ERP solutions from SAP that are established in thousands of companies worldwide. By extending these solutions to integrate emissions data, businesses can make more informed, sustainable decisions that link environmental impact with financial performance, enhancing compliance, efficiency and transparency.

“Enormous investments are required to abate CO2 in order to curb global warming. Besides smart, reliable regulation also accurate data on emissions along the supply chain is paramount to trigger the necessary investment,” said Dominik Asam, CFO and member of the Executive Board of SAP SE. “Only by moving from averages to actuals – audited at reasonable assurance – can freeriding and greenwashing be avoided, thereby protecting such valuable investment and our planet. SAP Green Ledger delivers precisely that.”

Today, SAP Green Ledger provides a first step for businesses to address regulatory requirements by integrating financial and environmental data. It helps companies navigate the complex global landscape of sustainability regulations, such as EU CSRD*, while establishing a scalable foundation over time, to adapt to evolving regulations such as EU ETS** and EU CBAM†, as well as to international standards such as ISSB††. The launch of the solution marks the beginning of a new era in carbon accounting systems, which are expected to significantly impact businesses worldwide as decarbonization becomes a legal and market imperative.

SAP Green Ledger was developed with support from companies such as Accenture, Deloitte, EY, PwC and TCS (Tata Consulting Services) as well as with pilot customers such as Covestro. Covestro is currently evaluating SAP Green Ledger in an early pilot phase and testing the linking of carbon dioxide values to SAP Green Ledger, as they are generated during the manufacture of specific products in the supply chain.

Accenture is helping organizations achieve their net-zero and sustainability targets in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. “As organizations seek to gain visibility into both the financial and environmental performance of their businesses, SAP Green Ledger can provide the sustainability metrics and insights needed to enhance decision-making that reduces emissions, drives efficiencies and optimizes performance,” said Stephanie Jamison, global resources industry practice chair and global sustainability services lead at Accenture. “As a strategic co-innovation partner, Accenture helped shape the development of SAP Green Ledger and can apply our understanding of the technology and its capabilities to help our clients get the most for their organization.”

Through its Strategic Advisory Group for Green Ledger, SAP was able to gain insights from Deloitte’s breadth and depth of knowledge in sustainability measurement and reporting. “SAP Green Ledger offers new levels of precision in carbon accounting for organizations as they track, manage and report their greenhouse gas emissions, and provides leaders with a holistic view of the costs and benefits of sustainability initiatives, enabling them to make data-driven decisions that can build business resilience,” said Jennifer Steinmann, Deloitte Global Sustainability Business leader.

Deloitte is working with companies as they adopt sustainability disclosure standards and get ready for assurance. “Technology solutions can help generate traceable, bottom-up emissions data,” said Veronica Poole, Deloitte Global IFRS and Corporate Reporting leader. “Leveraging the robust governance and controls of enterprise systems is needed to help organizations achieve the rigor that enhances corporate accountability and enables a move to reasonable assurance.”

Norman Emmenlauer, partner for CFO-Led Sustainability at EY Business Consulting, said about SAP Green Ledger: “This is a solution that integrates carbon accounting into the core financial processes, making sustainability a tangible part of business operations.”

Carina Schoellmann, partner for ESG Data & Tech at EY Technology Consulting, added: “This solution will help our EY clients by seamlessly integrating carbon accounting into their financial systems, enabling more informed and sustainable decision-making.”

Amy Brachio, EY global vice chair for Sustainability, pointed to the strategic nature of the topic: “Sustainability is at the heart of everything organizations do; business operations such as procurement, manufacturing and logistics are great examples. SAP Green Ledger will enable granular and auditable data capture across the value chain, supporting organizations to transform ESG from compliance exercise to value-creation strategy.”

Sameer Shah, partner at EY Technology Consulting, added: “SAP Green Ledger is a game changer for sustainability practitioners, providing the tools needed to measure, manage and report on carbon emissions with the same rigor as financial data.”

“Having participated in the pilot program, we’re excited to see the launch of SAP Green Ledger, an essential digital approach for integrating carbon accounting and management into strategic business operations,” explained Will Jackson-Moore, global sustainability leader, PwC UK. “With SAP Green Ledger, businesses can seamlessly align financial performance with sustainability goals, while achieving the transparency and precision needed for real-time emissions reporting and resource management. Building on this foundation, PwC is developing CSRD-ready content to enable end-to-end reporting and steering, helping organisations meet regulatory requirements, prioritise sustainability at the C-level, and drive meaningful change in environmental accountability. We’re proud to support our clients in leveraging SAP Green Ledger to navigate complex sustainability challenges, achieve measurable decarbonisation and progress toward net-zero commitments at speed.”

SAP partner TCS has also cooperated on SAP Green Ledger, with a focus on accelerating action to achieve carbon neutrality. TCS Enterprise Solutions Global Head Vikram Karakoti said, “With our participation in the pilot program for SAP Green Ledger, TCS is embracing innovative sustainability solutions to build a better future. This will enable organizations to move beyond regulatory compliance and make sustainability a growth engine. By embedding carbon data into the enterprise planning process, organizations can unlock previously unexplored areas for growth, transformation and environmental renewal.”

Visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP at @SAPNews.

*The EU’s CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) defines the rules concerning the social and environmental information that companies have to report. It entered into force on 5 January 2023. 
**The EU ETS (EU Emissions Trading System) is a “cap and trade” system to reduce emissions via a carbon market. Since 2005, it requires polluters to pay for their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, covering emissions from the electricity and heat generation, industrial manufacturing and aviation sectors – which account for roughly 40% of total GHG emissions in the EU. 
†The EU CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) is the EU’s tool to put a fair price on the carbon emitted during the production of carbon-intensive goods that are entering the EU, and to encourage cleaner industrial production in non-EU countries. CBAM will apply in its definitive regime from 2026. 
††The ISSB (International Sustainability Standards Board) is developing – in the public interest – standards that will result in a high-quality, comprehensive global baseline of sustainability disclosures focused on the needs of investors and the financial markets.

For more information, financial community only: 
Alexandra Steiger, +49 6227-7-60437, investor@sap.com, CEST

For more information, press only: 
Joellen Perry, +1 (650) 445-6780, joellen.perry@sap.com, PT 
Daniel Reinhardt, +49 6227-7-40201, daniel.reinhardt@sap.com, CEST 
SAP Press Room; press@sap.com

This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of SAP’s 2023 Annual Report on Form 20-F. 
© 2024 SAP SE. All rights reserved. 
SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE (or its affiliates) in Germany and other countries. Please see https://www.sap.com/copyright for additional trademark information and notices.