Next to water, concrete is perhaps the most consumed material in the world today. Across nations, infrastructure development runs on this precious commodity, thanks to its availability, affordability and durability. And here is the paradox. Cement is a major constituent of concrete (besides water, sand, gravel and some chemical additives), and it is the production of cement that causes roughly 8 percent of all CO₂ emissions on a global level. These CO₂ emissions result not just from the chemical reaction during the cement manufacturing process, but also from the use of fossil fuels to heat the kiln to temperatures of more than 2,600°F.

In today’s VUCA world, compute sovereignty has become a major strategic initiative, beyond just compliance. For nations, their digital infrastructure holds as much weight and power as do energy, water and transportation networks. Across the globe, there is an increasing demand for data residency and local oversight in critical infrastructure as a means to protect national security and assets, essential public services, and ensure compliance to privacy laws within their borders. In this context, Australia and Canada rank as the top two countries where organisations store their data within their respective regions — 92.6 percent and 92.3 percent, respectively. Enterprises in the EU come next, with 83 percent storing their data within the EU.

The European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which came into definitive effect from 1 January 2026, is the first fully operational border carbon adjustment (BCA) policy that applies charges based on the emissions intensity of imported goods.

Imagine this situation. A concrete-producing truck, equipped with GPS tracking is on its way to a site to make a delivery. The delivery window is, say, 2 p.m. and the GPS tracking pinpoints the current location at 11 30 a.m. Now, there is information from the site that there is a delay and that the supply is needed only after two days. Here is where the distinction between location tracking and operational intelligence matters. The latter will confirm if the truck can be re-routed to another site for its requirement, thus saving transportation cost.

It is no secret that globally, cement and concrete manufacture is responsible for about 7% of CO₂ emissions. Six years ago, the member organisations of the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) joined hands to commit themselves to bringing in carbon-neutral concrete by 2050, and to accelerate CO2 reductions. According to the Association, the roadmap actions that it has set out should prevent close to 5 bn tonnes of CO2 emissions will from entering the atmosphere by 2030.