Recent discussions with Peng Yijie, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) of Ant Group Co., Ltd., reveal that AI and digitalization are becoming key forces in global green development.

During intensive exchanges with overseas and international partners, Peng Yijie noticed a shift from previous emphasis on concepts to a greater focus on action this year. She mentioned that "technology enablement" has become a consensus, noting that AI not only improves efficiency but also brings new energy demands, while most innovative technologies face scaling challenges.

Peng Yijie stated that Ant Group Co., Ltd. has conducted Scope 3 carbon emissions assessments for three consecutive years, with data centers as a key focus for carbon reduction. The company collaborates with Alibaba Cloud, setting a target of 30% renewable energy usage by 2025. Plans include driving energy efficiency optimization through green computing technology to achieve "the same computing power consuming less energy, the same business consuming less computing power." Since 2017, the company's CPU efficiency has increased fivefold, relying on innovations in computing power scheduling and peak-valley management.

Regarding international cooperation, she emphasized that international standard-setting urgently needs corporate perspectives. Ant Group Co., Ltd. will contribute practical cases and promote pragmatic exchanges. The company is also considering building a green innovation platform to bring together cutting-edge global technologies. Speaking about Ant Forest's upcoming 10th anniversary, Peng Yijie revealed that Philippines' GCash has launched GForest, and Ant Group Co., Ltd. hopes to export not only technology but also methodology in the future, benefiting more countries.

In international finance, Peng Yijie pointed out that Ant Group Co., Ltd.'s international strategy core is inclusive payment. In many developing countries, electronic payments have significantly improved transaction efficiency and transparency while promoting economic development. She emphasized that Ant Group Co., Ltd. pursues "dual value creation," meaning all businesses must create both commercial and social value, rather than treating social responsibility as an add-on.

In digital healthcare, Ant Group Co., Ltd. explores integrating AI into grassroots medical care. Peng Yijie introduced that in Aksu, Xinjiang, locals call Ant Group Co., Ltd.'s AI doctor the "Doctor No. 101," as it helps village doctors improve diagnostic accuracy, alleviating "difficult and expensive medical treatment" problems while promoting rural revitalization. Looking ahead, she believes that if energy consumption issues cannot be resolved, AI cannot scale. However, as technology evolves and efficiency improves, AI will also make the environment and society better.

**Interview Transcript (Slightly Edited):**

**Q: Ant Group Co., Ltd. has proposed achieving net-zero emissions by 2030. What was the biggest inspiration from recent overseas exchanges with international organizations and large enterprises? Are there more optimized approaches on the path to carbon neutrality?**

**Peng Yijie:** Compared to the past, this round of discussions clearly focuses more on action rather than remaining at the conceptual level. My biggest feeling is that almost all topics revolve around "technology enablement." Whether from the energy side, energy-saving side, or specific technologies like circular economy and carbon capture, everyone is thinking about how to leverage new technologies for energy conservation and emission reduction. Another very obvious experience is that AI has become the focus of discussions in all fields. AI can play a huge role in energy management and industrial optimization, while also bringing new energy demands, meaning that while driving efficiency, we must also solve energy consumption problems.

At the same time, many innovative technologies still face scaling challenges. Although there are laboratory results and some have entered market applications, there's still a long way to go before truly large-scale promotion. This is a common challenge in the global sustainable development field.

**Q: Data center energy consumption is a common challenge facing global tech companies. How does Ant Group Co., Ltd. achieve lower carbon and higher efficiency in operations?**

**Peng Yijie:** In our carbon neutrality goals, the biggest challenge comes from Scope 3 emissions, with data centers being the main component. Ant Group Co., Ltd. has conducted Scope 3 carbon assessments for three consecutive years, establishing a stable and traceable data system. We have long-term cooperation with domestic Alibaba Cloud data centers, with several paths for carbon reduction.

First is energy substitution. We've set clear targets in our carbon neutrality roadmap: renewable energy usage should reach 30% by 2025. Our targets are stricter than clean energy requirements, hoping to move faster and further in renewable energy.

Second, at the computing power level, we optimize architecture and upgrade technology to make the same computing power consume less energy. Finally, at the business level, we systematically optimize to make the same business require less energy consumption. In other words, technological progress brings not single-point energy savings, but full-chain efficiency improvements.

Over the past few years, our CPU efficiency has increased fivefold compared to 2017, thanks to extensive innovations in computing power scheduling and peak-valley management. User experience must be stable and smooth, but complex scheduling and algorithms are needed behind the scenes—this is the result of our patented technology. We call this experience "green computing technology" and are willing to share it with more partners.

International business development also presents new challenges. We cooperate with different cloud service providers overseas, and countries have vastly different power and energy structures, requiring continuous exploration in different scenarios. But the core logic is consistent: promote substitution on the energy side and continuously optimize on the technology side to create a positive balance between growing computing power demands and carbon emission pressures.

**Q: What are Ant Group Co., Ltd.'s plans regarding international standard-setting and cooperation?**

**Peng Yijie:** In international standard-setting, we mainly contribute corporate perspectives. Scientists' models and logic are correct, but when applied to specific enterprise scenarios, many practical problems arise. We hope to provide feedback on these challenges to standard-setters by sharing cases, making standards more suitable for enterprise implementation needs.

In terms of cooperation, we've accumulated considerable experience. Chairman Eric Jing proposed early on to firmly pursue the green path, so we've done extensive exploration in technology reserves and industrial investments. For example, we've invested in battery companies and established connections with enterprises focused on carbon capture and circular economy. In the future, we hope to build a platform that brings together leading international green technologies and concepts, conducting pragmatic cooperation around specific problems rather than just staying at the conceptual exchange level. Ant Group Co., Ltd. is a platform company, and from payments to financial services, we've all experienced platform-based development. In the future, we hope to further expand and become a platform that promotes green innovation.

**Q: Next year, Ant Forest will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Will you consider promoting more global cooperation?**

**Peng Yijie:** Every time I share Ant Forest cases overseas, audiences are surprised. Being able to mobilize so many users in this way, plant so many trees, and bring tangible ecological improvements—many countries have this demand and hope to replicate this model.

Our approach is to find local partners and share our technology and concepts. For example, Philippines' GCash launched GForest, and partners in the US and Southeast Asia are trying similar models. Some countries choose to protect oceans instead of planting trees, combining their own environmental characteristics. In the future, we hope to export not only technology but also methodology, allowing more countries to benefit.

**Q: Ant Group Co., Ltd. has accumulated experience in inclusive finance. What are the focus areas in overseas markets? Will it combine with green finance?**

**Peng Yijie:** In international markets, we're currently most focused on inclusive payment. Many residents in developing countries don't have bank accounts or credit cards—they urgently need low-cost, high-efficiency payment methods. Electronic payments not only improve transaction efficiency and transparency but also significantly promote economic development. Research has shown a linear relationship between electronic payment penetration and GDP growth.

Green finance exploration is still in its early stages, but electronic payment itself is greener than traditional methods. We're also focusing on women's development and sustainability issues, which aligns with our domestic "inclusive, green, women" three directions. Our philosophy is "dual value creation"—every business must simultaneously create commercial and social value, rather than treating social responsibility as an additional supplement. This makes Ant Group Co., Ltd.'s ESG practices more pragmatic and differentiated.

**Q: Ant Group Co., Ltd. also has new explorations in healthcare. Can you introduce specific approaches and cases?**

**Peng Yijie:** We're promoting the combination of digital healthcare with rural revitalization. For example, in Aksu, Xinjiang, we not only support local development through projects like planting poplar trees and selling apples but also introduced the "digital doctor" concept. About 100 doctors from Zhejiang provide support locally, and locals call our AI doctor "Doctor No. 101" because it can cover a broader population, especially helping village doctors improve diagnostic accuracy.

Village doctors are often young with limited training time and varying diagnostic levels. Through the AQ system, village doctors can get assistance anytime when encountering uncertain situations. It's like having a master teacher providing guidance, not only improving efficiency but also avoiding delays caused by misdiagnosis. In the future, we hope to make this model more solid and deeper, empowering medical systems in more regions.

**Q: Finally, how do you view AI's role in green development?**

**Peng Yijie:** I always believe we need greater imagination to understand AI's potential. Computing power improvement is just the most direct part—more importantly, AI can reshape work methods and social operational efficiency, thus having profound impacts on carbon emissions and energy consumption.

Currently, AI applications mainly focus on B2B, but future B2C potential will be enormous. Traditional enterprises are actively embracing AI, which will bring more profound changes than the internet.

Even if data center energy consumption continues to increase in the future, from a systematic perspective, efficiency improvements will far offset this growth. Historical experience and Moore's Law both prove that energy consumption will definitely optimize as technology evolves. If problems cannot be solved, AI simply cannot scale. Because of this, I remain optimistic about AI driving green development and social progress.