Episodes

  • Building resilient, sustainable healthcare with digital twins and innovation
    Jun 25 2024

    Send us a Text Message.

    In the latest episode of our Energy Transition Talks series, CGI Global Industry Lead for Health and Life Sciences Ben Goldberg joins Peter Warren to discuss the interdependence between healthcare and energy systems, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach to ensure a healthy society. Specifically, they examine the interplay between ecosystems and supply chains, the emergence of smart, “green hospitals,” and how data innovation and digital twins are driving sustainable, resilient healthcare.

    Digital twins and “triplets” in healthcare

    While hospitals play a vital role in healthcare, they often contribute significantly to emissions due to aging infrastructure and inefficient buildings. For example, Ben points out that many hospitals have been around for decades, and while some modernization efforts have been made, they are still not energy friendly. This, he says, is an opportunity for new technologies to enter the mix.

    Notably, digital twins—which create digital representation of physical assets—have gained traction in healthcare. Moving beyond just monitoring energy consumption, digital twins offer compelling use cases, such as providing visibility into the patient journey and help address outcomes. As Ben highlights, the ability to mirror the physical world digitally through digital twins has numerous facets and opportunities within the healthcare sector.

    Sharing a term coined by Diane Gutiw, a leader in AI and digital twins at CGI, Peter raises the use cases for “digital triplets,” referring to using three interconnected digital twins:

    1. A twin modeling the patient’s health and wellbeing
    2. A twin modeling the operations of the healthcare facility itself (energy use, HVAC systems, etc.)
    3. A third twin analyzing the causes and effects between the first two twins.

    This model allows for optimizing not just patient care, but the facility's energy efficiency and sustainability as well. For example, Ben and Peter discuss the fact that "green hospitals" are being built globally to produce their own electricity and hydrogen fuel, while using digital twins to intelligently control heating, cooling, lighting, and more based on patient occupancy levels.

    Visit our Energy Transition Talks page

    Show more Show less
    13 mins
  • Unleashing renewable energy transformation with AI and innovation
    Jun 6 2024

    Send us a Text Message.

    In part two of the Energy Transition Talks discussion between Eurelectric’s Head of Energy Policy, Climate and Sustainability Paul Wilczek and CGI expert Peter Warren, they turn their focus to the opportunities and challenges of localized energy production, the role AI and new technologies play in balancing decentralized power grids and the long-term benefits of decarbonizing and electrifying the energy sector.

    The renewable energy surge in Europe

    Localized energy production and renewable energy is increasing, as energy and security of fossil fuels coming from more volatile regions face increased disruption and costs. Referencing various studies, projections and European Commission publications, Paul indicates that the deployment of renewable energy sources—particularly solar photovoltaic (PV) and onshore/offshore wind power—is expected to experience a massive surge in Europe across all scenarios.

    As Paul explains, this rapid growth in localized renewable energy production offers several advantages:

    · Homegrown electricity production: Europe will have a significant portion of its electricity generated domestically, reducing dependence on imports from potentially unreliable foreign partners, thereby enhancing energy security and supply reliability.

    · Decarbonization: Renewable energy sources like solar and wind are carbon-free, contributing to the decarbonization of Europe's electricity sector.

    · Price predictability: Domestically produced renewable energy can provide more predictable and stable power prices, reducing volatility associated with imported energy sources.

    At the same time, he points out, the projected surge in renewable energy deployment presents challenges too: such rapid growth also necessitates addressing the challenges of variability and the need for substantial investments.

    The role of AI and new technologies in managing the energy system efficiently

    While traditional energy generation like hydroelectric power will continue to play a role, Peter says, the major shift towards renewable but volatile sources like wind and solar impacts not just the volume of energy produced, but also the frequency and grid balancing when the sun shines or wind blows. New technologies, he suggests, will play a supporting role in transitioning to distributed energy resources (DER) production.

    Paul agrees, suggesting that a decade ago, few predicted the current dominance of wind and solar energy. Technologies like biomass and geothermal were expected to have a bigger role. However, the plummeting costs of wind and solar have made them the clear winners for now.

    Read more on cgi.com


    Visit our Energy Transition Talks page

    Show more Show less
    13 mins
  • Embracing electrification as a catalyst for decarbonization - with special guest from Eurelectric
    May 24 2024

    Send us a Text Message.

    In this first of two episodes for our Energy Transition Talks series, Eurelectric’s Head of Energy Policy, Climate and Sustainability Paul Wilczek joins Peter Warren to examine the intrinsic link between decarbonization and electrification, plus the consequent opportunities shaping the energy landscape. They discuss the need for grid investment and modernization, how transparent information helps bridge gaps between governments and public opinion, upfront costs versus long-term benefits of electrification and how reforming energy taxation and billing can shape the future of electrified communities.

    Decarbonization and electrification: A pivotal shift

    By 2040, Europe aims to have a largely decarbonized power sector, paving the way for the widespread adoption of electrification across various sectors. According to Paul, this transition not only promotes energy efficiency but also offers significant environmental benefits. As he shares, electrified systems, such as heat pumps for residential heating, can use “just two-thirds of the primary energy” required by traditional gas-based heating systems, resulting in substantial energy savings. Peter indicates that a shift is happening in North America as well, citing the current U.S. government’s incentives for heat pumps.

    Despite the increasing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), heat pumps and other electrified technologies, the overall electrification rate in Europe remains stagnant at around 22-23%. This is surprising, Paul point says, as the growing number of electrified processes and users would indicate the rate would rise.

    The primary focus has been on decarbonizing the power sector, with efforts to transition to renewable and clean energy sources. However, Paul reveals, the remaining 78% of energy consumption across other sectors has been largely overlooked. Electrification presents an effective solution for further decarbonization, as the electricity grid becomes increasingly green and decarbonized.

    According to projections from the European Commission, electrification is expected to account for 35% of final energy demand by 2030, rising to 50% by 2040, and potentially reaching 60-70% by 2050.

    The transformation of transportation

    The transport sector is undergoing a profound transformation, with the phase-out of combustion engine vehicles playing a pivotal role. This transition is driven by policy initiatives, technological advancements, and a collective commitment to reducing carbon emissions and embracing sustainable energy solutions.

    Within the next 20 years, Paul estimates that very few combustion engine cars will remain on the roads. This shift is driven by the European Union's ban on combustion engines in cars, paving the way for electric and hybrid vehicles to dominate the personal transportation market. While some heavy-duty vehicles may still rely on hybrid technologies, the family vehicle of the future is expected to be predominantly electric.

    Visit our Energy Transition Talks page

    Show more Show less
    15 mins
  • Embrace "Green IT," AI and auditable data to accelerate your ESG journey
    May 14 2024

    Send us a Text Message.

    In our latest episode of our Energy Transition Talks series, Marion Braams, Vice-President, Consulting Expert at CGI sits down with Peter Warren to share her expert perspective on emerging trends in IT, sustainability regulations and reporting. Specifically, they discuss different ESG initiatives across regions, the evolution to and impact of legally mandated standards and certifications, plus the role of green IT and AI for optimizing data and ESG reporting.

    New laws mandating ESG reporting create fairness and accountability

    Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors are becoming increasingly valuable for businesses beyond just sustainability objectives, as they can impact risk management, stakeholder expectations, innovation and operational efficiency.

    Until now, greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting and emissions reductions have been voluntary for companies, meaning companies that invested in being "greener" faced higher costs than those that didn't. However, new laws, like the CSRD in Europe and the ISSB in the US, are making GHG reporting mandatory, creating a more level playing field and fostering more consistency and accountability across industries.

    As Marion explains, without standards developed to measure GHG emissions, people were measuring things in their own ways. “You can't just look at something and know how much greenhouse gases (GHG) it contains, like a beer. You cannot just look at your beer and know its cost or energy use. It depends on how it is made, how much time it was stored, for example. It becomes really complicated to calculate things.”

    Companies can apply for certifications from organizations like EcoVadis or the Carbon Disclosure Project to verify their GHG emissions. These certifications require companies to use standardized methods to estimate and report their GHG emissions.

    Visit our Energy Transition Talks page

    Show more Show less
    17 mins
  • AI, data processing and actionable analysis: how space data is shaping the energy landscape
    Apr 9 2024

    Send us a Text Message.

    In this episode of our Energy Transition Talks podcast series, CGI space expert Harjit Sheera shares with Peter Warren how the volume of space data is not only ever-increasing, but also growing in impact and application across industries. Discussing how processing space data for accessibility and effective use was previously an arduous task, they explore how artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced processing platforms are helping organizations make the most of their space data. From environmental impact monitoring to emissions mapping and data layering, space data is changing the way we see and act on energy transition goals.

    Improving and accelerating traditionally cumbersome space data with AI

    Operating across the entire space stakeholder chain, CGI space experts work as advisors for space organizations, collaborate with regulatory agencies and support end users through application development and managed services.

    In her almost 20 years of experience working in space, Harjit knows the legacy challenges space data poses, specifically in terms of harnessing and translating its vast volume. “It takes a lot of processing power, a lot of storage energy and a lot of standardization to make that data available to people who can turn it into something that the end user will see.”

    Emerging processing engines (including those processing earth observation data, examining imagery or setting standardized requisite parameters) are using AI, machine learning and advanced algorithms to refine further and perform better, faster. This means greater volumes of data can be processed more efficiently and more, diverse user requirements can be addressed.

    Specifically, AI helps identify key elements in satellite images and processes them faster, based on set user requirements. For example, Harjit shares the use case of farmers leveraging AI and satellite imagery data to monitor and demonstrate how they’re farming their land and what kind of crops they’re growing, to claim government subsidies.

    Peter highlights the positive implications the advanced deep learning and crop recognition use case has for energy organizations who want to monitor, for example, leaks or the growth of vegetation under power lines and near utility company infrastructure. It all helps to reduce the cost of maintenance and potential damage.

    Visit our Energy Transition Talks page

    Show more Show less
    16 mins
  • AI strategies, asset optimization and data quality: the new frontier for oil and gas
    Mar 5 2024

    Send us a Text Message.

    AI strategies, asset optimization and data quality: the new frontier for oil and gas

    In the latest episode of our Energy Transition Talks, Maida Zahid sits down with CGI experts Mark van Engelen and Curtis Nybo to discuss the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the oil and gas space. Specifically, they look at the evolution of—and need for—generative AI in the industry, the value of an iterative, domain-based approach to implementation and cross-industry AI use cases to advance the energy transition.

    The new frontier for AI in oil and gas: data, demographics and domain-based approaches

    The use of AI to support the asset-heavy oil and gas industry has been in effect for some time, especially for optimizing asset maintenance and predictive maintenance. However, new areas of need are driving the evolving role and growing value of AI within organizations.

    First, Mark mentions, is the need for generative AI to help unlock the vast amounts of data in the oil and gas companies (e.g., on the GIS side, on their land side, upstream, downstream, etc.). This rise of ‘data GTP’ as he calls it, means gaining access to that data in a natural language format to pose questions like, ‘How many barrels did you produce last month?’ without clicking through several layers of reporting.

    Second, as shifting demographics and changing workforces expose a knowledge gap between retiring experts and new professional entrants, generative AI is helping organizations bridge the gap and provide access to legacy knowledge in an efficient manner.

    More crucial than vast amounts of data is the quality of the data. When working on use cases with clients, Curtis says they begin with domains that have decent data quality or supporting data management processes, to maximize ROI and time to completion.

    As he explains, “we take a domain-based approach, where in parallel as you’re working on an AI project in the one domain, you can clean up the data of another domain next on your list,” so you’re not applying AI to the whole company at once; you’re starting with one area or team and expanding throughout the organization.

    Visit our Energy Transition Talks page

    Show more Show less
    36 mins
  • Generative AI’s true value lies in digital twins and trusted data
    Jan 22 2024

    Send us a Text Message.

    In part two of our Energy Transition Talks conversation on generative artificial intelligence (AI), CGI experts Diane Gutiw and Peter Warren further explore the implications and applications of AI in the energy and utilities industry. Building upon their discussion in part one, they examine how digital twins, change management and trusted data are shaping the use and performance of AI in energy organizations, ultimately looking to the future of AI as multimodal, human-driven technology solution.

    The key to realizing AI value: integrated solutions and digital twins

    Increasingly, the greatest benefits of generative AI are emerging not in single solutions, but in integrated, multi-model, multimodal ways of pulling in information, producing expert advice and automating certain functions.

    The energy industry, says Diane, is “a great example of a very complex environment with lots of different types of media and data that can be leveraged by these new and upcoming technologies.”

    In her view, AI is headed toward digital twin models and integrated solutions. In the energy industry, this increased data-driven automation can help make both the grid and operations more efficient.

    Peter Warren shares one key use case for digital twins is to help organizations understand other markets better, as they transition their current model. “You might know your existing industry well,” he says, “but as you move from traditional carbon-based energy to something less carbon-based, be it hydrogen or electricity, you may not know those markets; being able to create a digital twin of something you haven’t formally understood is a huge benefit.”

    Diane agrees and suggests that the adoption of a digital twin to represent an organization’s current environment is a great use case, especially where there’s a data-intensive end-to-end workflow. Not only does this provide a robust view of the existing environment, she says, “but also it allows organizations to look at different scenarios and leverage AI to say, for example, ‘What would happen to the grid if this event happened, and how could I automatically adjust?’”

    Visit our Energy Transition Talks page

    Show more Show less
    12 mins
  • Generative AI is inevitable but a structured, responsible approach is critical
    Jan 9 2024

    Send us a Text Message.

    In the latest episode of our Energy Transition Talks podcast series, Peter Warren sits down with Vice-President, CGI Global AI Research Lead Diane Gutiw to discuss generative AI and its global impact across industries. In part one of the conversation, they delve into the inevitability of AI in everyday life, the need for a structured, secure approach when using these tools and the use cases that are helping organizations improve efficiency and secure a quick return on their AI investment.

    AI is inevitable (but requires guardrails)

    The burgeoning conversation surrounding generative AI is one of the hottest topics for organizations globally. Questions pertaining to the inherent business opportunities and challenges are emerging at the same rate that organizations strive to define, harness and govern these new technologies.

    According to CGI’s AI expert Diane Gutiw, one thing is not up for debate: “AI is inevitable.”

    She sees the current AI landscape as similar to the adoption of the internet. “I think we're really going to be leveraging AI when we start to forget that it's there and are able to understand, have transparency into its processes and discern what's being delivered to us.”

    However, Diane stresses that AI is not an end in itself. Especially in a business context, she explains, it is a tool developed to serve an intended purpose. “As long as we put the guardrails in place for responsible development, use and build-out of these tools, the power and the opportunities are unlimited.”

    Read for more

    Visit our Energy Transition Talks page

    Show more Show less
    14 mins