How Accreditation accelerated Envision Digital's net zero push

By: Mun Lock Kum, Deputy Managing Director, Envision Digital

Envision Digital is a business that understands the urgency of its mission. Climate scientists tell us that we have just a few years to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. That’s why we are dedicated to aggressive climate action and committed to helping our partners achieve breakthroughs in responding to the climate crisis.

We offer sustainability solutions that help drive net zero ambitions. EnOS™ is Envision Digital’s proprietary, industry-leading artificial intelligence of things operating system. Currently it connects and manages more than 220 million devices and 560 gigawatts of energy assets globally, powering highly-configurable, end-to-end industrial internet of things solutions that use AI to reduce carbon emissions and costs, improve return on capital, and simplify reporting and compliance.

So where do you go and which strategic relationships do you build if you’re a company that’s running as fast as we are?

Singapore is a great location for the headquarters of our global business, and as we’ve grown, we have been thankful for the support of IMDA through its Accreditation programme, which aims to help promising Singapore-based tech product companies win projects, grow, and compete in the global market. We’ve recently marked our fifth anniversary in Singapore and have been reflecting on our journey and the opportunities we’ve enjoyed thus far.

Serious about practical solutions

One of the reasons Envision Digital chose Singapore for its global headquarters is because the country has shown it is serious about the green economy and digitalisation. Through its Smart Nation programme, it is using innovation to deliver sustainable outcomes. We saw a government that could be both a partner and a customer.

Accreditation with IMDA was a clear path to establishing those relationships. At the most obvious level, it would qualify us for projects with government agencies and statutory bodies.

The programme gives potential customers and partners additional confidence, because they know the government has conducted due diligence. That confidence is well-earned, because the Accreditation programme is indeed rigorous. Every year, the IMDA evaluates our technology, cybersecurity and the technology roadmap for our products, while also considering our financial position. To-date, there are over 150 accredited Singapore-based start-ups and they are recommended to potential demand buyers in government and large enterprises who are seeking cutting edge tech products or platforms.

We were impressed that the IMDA could evaluate a brand-new technology and accredit an ambition as broad-reaching as ours. And that there was a clear approach and process that could position EnOS™ as an industry leader, to be considered first by Singapore Government agencies.

From the start, there was a clear desire and motivation across the board to implement technology that could help meet the sustainability goals and targets set out under Smart Nation. By the time we were accredited in July 2019, the Government Technology (GovTech) Agency was already using EnOS™ to develop an in-house Device Management Control and Data Acquisition system (DECADA). Further, Keppel Urban Solutions had by that point developed its Smart City Operating System, based on the EnOS™ suite.

How the Accreditation programme helped Envision Digital

Since receiving IMDA Accreditation, we have continued to partner with the government to drive Singapore’s net zero agenda. For example, we partnered with PSA to create the world’s first smart green port, providing five customised energy management applications based on EnOS™. Our comprehensive management solution resulted in a 20% reduction in energy costs per container.

We also launched a Net Zero Startup Challenge with the Energy Market Authority (EMA), to develop the capabilities of local energy companies focusing on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and low-carbon solutions, and to promote Singapore as a regional hub for market expansion and research and development. Companies are offered the opportunity to receive training and mentorship to develop their digital capabilities, and they can also apply for post-programme R&D funding from the EMA.

We currently have over 230 people working for us in Singapore across various functions. Of these, many are working on smart building, fleet management, and decarbonisation solutions. We have also added a renewables and cybersecurity centres of excellence in Singapore.

Addressing a global problem requires global ambitions, which is why we constantly look to forge partnerships across the world. Even overseas, the Accreditation programme helps us establish our credentials with new partners and customers.

Some of the other government projects we are also working on around the world now include an agreement with the Government of Spain to build Europe’s first Net Zero Industrial Park. The Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC) and Envision Digital have also signed a new partnership agreement to accelerate Malaysia's net zero journey and promote real-time carbon footprint tracking for local organisations.

A process that drives success

So here we are, just over five years since we began our Accreditation journey – with the COP28 meetings in Dubai on the horizon. In early February, we announced exciting investments and partnerships to further Singapore’s sustainability and net zero goals.

Envision Digital became the first sustainability partner of the National Gallery Singapore and will support its efforts to turn the former City Hall and Supreme Court sites into a Super Low Energy building as part of the organisation’s journey to net zero. We have also entered a strategic partnership with OCBC Bank, to support their customers across Asia in their transition to a low-carbon, net zero world by harnessing Envision Digital’s net zero technologies.

We are also establishing a Net Zero Centre of Excellence (COE) that will serve as a research and innovation hub to promote sustainability across green finance, transportation, and real-estate portfolios. In addition, we will set up a Digital Battery COE with an initial focus on safety, life-cycle management, battery swapping, and smart networks for electric vehicles and energy storage batteries. As I reflect on how much we have already achieved together, I look forward to how much more will be achieved over the next five years – built on a strong public-private partnership foundation – and supported by IMDA Accreditation.

We are excited to be IMDA-accredited for three years now, and to see subsequent cohorts of IMDA-accredited companies reap similar benefits. We are deeply impressed with IMDA’s commitment to solving the impossible challenges – harnessing truly disruptive technology, but fused with a Singaporean can-do spirit.

Find out more about the IMDA Accreditation Programme.