IBM is seriously trying to make China industries more energy efficient. It is now providing consulting and information technology services to ENN Group to help it become "a total clean energy solution and services provider."A statement said, "The two companies will explore innovative business models for energy services and help Chinese companies and cities develop a low-carbon economy."
The two companies said they will work together on IBM’s "smart cities" initiative in China, under which IBM uses information technology and data analysis to make public services, in this case energy production and distribution, more efficient.
IBM launched its first full-scale smart city project in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang (seen here) in September, to help the city improve everything from water treatment to traffic management.
ENN, based in the northern Chinese province of Hebei, operates natural gas, biofuels and thin-film solar panel manufacturing businesses. It is the parent company of Hong Kong-listed XinAo Gas Holdings Ltd., a piped-gas distributor.
CNN Money.com reported that D.C. Chien, chairman and CEO of IBM’s Greater China Group, said in the statement the deal with ENN is "IBM’s biggest and most influential strategic collaboration in China over the past decade."