AI developer Smart Engines has achieved carbon neutrality
Smart Engines, a leading developer of OCR, bank card and QR code scanning systems, has achieved carbon neutrality. The company has managed to fully offset its carbon footprint by participating in forest restoration projects.
In May 2023, Smart Engines planted 3,500 English Oak seedlings in the UNESCO-sponsored Biosphere Reserve.
The English oak is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species and is one of the most carbon-absorbing trees, after aspen and birch. One hectare of oak forest can absorb 212 tonnes of carbon in 50 years.
One recognition by Smart Engines’ AI technology requires energy equivalent to 0.0001g of CO2. Planting one hectare of oak forest, the company calculates, will offset the ecological damage caused by all the recognitions for the foreseeable future.
This is the second reforestation initiative supported by Smart Engines. Last fall, employees of the company planted four thousand English oak seedlings on a two-acre site.
The reforestation activities are part of Smart Engines’ 2020 ESG strategy. It aims to consistently reduce energy consumption and offset the company’s carbon footprint. In the same year, Smart Engines joined the United Nations (UN) Global Compact.
‘In the global market for AI solutions, we are agents and promoters of responsible technology development and smart consumption. Our company has minimized the environmental impact of our activities. On the one hand, at the level of algorithms, we are constantly reducing computational complexity and thus energy consumption. On the other hand, we plant trees to offset our carbon footprint,’ said Smart Engines CEO Vladimir Arlazarov, PhD in Computer Science.
All of the company’s products — Smart ID Engine, Smart Code Engine, Smart Document Engine, Smart Tomo Engine — use its proprietary, environmentally friendly GreenOCR® character recognition technology. GreenOCR® is developed according to the global doctrine of artificial intelligence. It is based on three fundamental principles: sustainability, security and privacy. GreenOCR® enables the highest quality and speed of recognition while minimizing energy consumption and environmental impact.
