Rehosting 'Technology Days 2024,' XL Axiata Showcases AI Advancement for a Sustainable Future

XL Axiata's commitment to adopt various new technologies are evident in the event "Technology Days 2024" with the theme"AI for Sustainable Tomorrow," held on August 7 and 8, 2024, at XL Axiata Tower, Jakarta. This event features several speakers, including the Indonesian Minister of Trade (2011-2014), Gita Wirjawan, Director of BAKTI Kominfo, Fadhilah Mathar, Director & Chief Enterprise Business and Corporate Affairs Officer of XL Axiata, Yessie D. Yosetya, Head of the AI Center ITB, Ayu Purwarianti, as well as other speakers from Tiket.com, GRAB, Astra Digital International, Ericsson, Kalbe, ZTE, Bank Central Asia, AWS, Huawei, and APAC.

Technology Days 2024 aims to educate and inspire on how AI can support business sustainability. The utilization of AI technology is the main focus of this event, which also demonstrates XL Axiata's ongoing efforts to implement it across various business lines, including current and upcoming service products.

XL Axiata's Director & Chief Technology Officer, I Gede Darmayusa, stated, "The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is undeniable, yet it is crucial to understand how to utilize its potential to enhance both business operations and other areas. AI is currently a focal point due to its wide-ranging applications across nearly all sectors, such as telecommunications, finance, healthcare, education, retail & ecommerce, transportation, and cybersecurity. All these sectors are significantly impacted by AI. Therefore, we need to understand how to use it to ensure the technology serves our needs effectively."

Gede mentioned that XL Axiata has already integrated AI into multiple areas, including chatbots and virtual assistants for customer support, network optimization, fraud detection, cybersecurity, service optimization, and customer service automation. The upcoming event will also highlight various AI applications in optimizing renewable energy usage, improving telecommunication network efficiency, and reducing carbon emissions.

This year, Technology Days will be bigger, offering more classes tailored to participants' interests and numerous showcases to explore. XL Axiata has partnered with 13 leading technology companies, including Huawei, Ericsson, ZTE, Nokia, Lintas Teknologi, Alita, Transcelestial, AWS, Edotco, Protelindo Group, Tower Bersama, and Cisco. BCA is also joining as a partner from the banking industry.

The event will include various sessions such as exhibitions, seminars, talk shows, and educational classes. It aims to gather experts from different sectors to inspire innovation and collaboration for a better future. The agenda will feature not only XL Axiata's internal team but also academics, government representatives, and industry professionals.

The event will highlight technologies such as chatbots, real-time network monitoring, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR), utilizing 5G networks for faster responses, better data analysis, and immersive user experiences. Partners will showcase the latest technological solutions.

XL Axiata aims for this event to provide valuable insights for industry players. The company invites stakeholders to join and collaborate in creating digital solutions using the latest technology to enhance social life.

Through Technology Days 2024, XL Axiata also seeks to expand participants' knowledge and encourage the tech and telecommunications industry to optimize AI use with the latest innovations. Additionally, it is hoped that such events will become larger in the future, with increased support from companies, institutions, and academics, making them more engaging and accessible to all segments of society.

Implementing AI in Sustainability Programs

At this event, XL Axiata also explored strategies for sustainability through AI automation. Adopting AI can play a significant role in achieving sustainability goals, such as improving energy efficiency, managing waste, monitoring carbon emissions, overseeing smart buildings, ensuring sustainable supply chains, integrating renewable energy, and supporting data-driven sustainability initiatives.

Yessie D. Yosetya, Director & Chief Enterprise Business and Corporate Affairs Officer of XL Axiata, remarked, "The future of work, AI, and sustainability are closely linked, with sustainability becoming a major focus for both businesses and governments. AI technology can be harnessed to monitor and address environmental impacts. For example, AI can optimize energy use, predict and mitigate climate change impacts, and improve waste management practices."

According to Yessie, sustainability has become a central priority for businesses and governments, who are increasingly aware of the environmental impacts. Sustainable practices, such as reducing carbon footprints, minimizing waste, and conserving resources, are being integrated into business strategies. The shift toward renewable energy sources is also accelerating. With the synergy of all parties addressing sustainability issues, a future with a well-preserved natural environment can be achieved.

"Our current initiatives are focused on lowering Scope 1 and 2 emissions through actions such as decreasing generator use, implementing power-saving RAN features, optimizing network equipment, and adopting more eco-friendly site designs. In 2023, XL Axiata introduced an initiative to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions. For Scope 1, strategies like removing generators and adding batteries to reduce fuel consumption can decrease emissions by up to 286 tons of CO2e," Yessie added.

As electricity usage is a significant part of XL Axiata's operations, Scope 2 emissions are the largest contributor, with 695,828 tons of CO2e produced in 2023. Initiatives like power-saving RAN features and network equipment optimization can reduce emissions by up to 39,598 tons of CO2e. For Scope 3, XL Axiata collaborates with partners to accelerate emission reduction targets.

Additionally, XL Axiata has created an appreciation program called XL ESG Warrior 2024. This program recognizes partners who have undertaken various sustainability efforts within the scope of ESG (Environment, Social, Governance). At this year's Technology Days, eight partners received the XL Axiata ESG Warrior 2024 award: PT Huawei Tech Investment, PT Ericsson Indonesia, Nokia, PT Alita Praya Mitra, Tower Bersama Group, Amazon Web Services, Protelindo Group, and Lintas Teknologi Indonesia.