AI infrastructure provider Crusoe announced that it has raised $600 million in a Series D funding round, with proceeds from the financing aimed at its vertically integrated, purpose-built AI cloud platform, powered by clean energy. The financing values Crusoe at $2.8 billion. The financing comes as AI-driven growth is driving a rapid increase in demand for data centers, and for…

By: Karen Abramson, CEO of Wolters Kluwer Corporate Performance & ESG It’s no secret that ESG has for the past several years become caught up in America’s political and culture wars. Multiple conservative-led states have passed legislation pushing back against ESG investment policies. Boycotts have been levied against companies that are perceived as prioritizing ESG factors. And prominent politicians have…

The Indiana Public Retirement System (INPRS) voted to replace BlackRock as a manager in its portfolio, due to the investment giant’s alleged use of ESG investment policies and its engagement using “an ESG focused agenda.” In a press release from Indiana State Treasurer Daniel Elliott, who also serves as a member of the INPRS Board of Trustees, Elliott said lauded…

EV charging software platform provider WeaveGrid announced that it has raised $28 million in a funding round led by Toyota’s growth fund, Woven Capital, with proceeds aimed at supporting the expansion of WeaveGrid’s platform, capabilities and relationships with automakers and utilities. Founded in 2018 by CEO Apoorv Bhargava and President John Taggart, California-based WeaveGrid provides a platform aimed at accelerating…

California State Senators Scott Wiener and Henry Stern, authors of recently-passed legislation requiring large companies to disclose their value chain emissions and report on climate-related financial risks, have sent a letter to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), threatening the regulator with legislative oversight hearings over its plans to delay enforcement of the new climate reporting regulation. The letter follows…

Leading enterprise resource planning (ERP) software company SAP announced today the general availability of SAP Green Ledger, a new carbon accounting solution aimed at enabling companies to track and report the carbon footprint of their products, services and business units. Initially unveiled in 2023, and forming part of SAP Sustainability solutions, the new solution provides a carbon accounting system that…

EU member states in the European Council announced today that they have adopted a series of new rules aimed at significantly reducing packaging waste in the EU, including a goal requiring all packaging placed on the market to be recyclable by 2030. The approval by the Council marks the last major legislative step in the adoption of the new rules, following…