Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.
Apple, as a private company, pays less attention on building infrastructure including regional and transborder one, to support economic development and human well-being (SDGs target 9.1).
However, Apple does try to upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes (SDGs target 9.4).
Let's see what they have done and what they are expecting to do . . .
Firstly, let's talk about Apple Park.
Apple announced that Apple Park in February 2017, a 175-acre campus for employees to begin occupying since April in the same year.
The campus’ ring-shaped, 2.8 million-square-foot main building is clad entirely in the world’s largest panels of curved glass.
What is it special?
“The workspaces and parklands are designed to inspire our team as well as benefit the environment. We’ve achieved one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the world and the campus will run entirely on renewable energy,” said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO.
The parklands also offer two miles of walking and running paths for employees, plus an orchard, meadow and pond within the ring’s interior grounds.
Designed in collaboration with Foster + Partners, Apple Park replaces 5 million square feet of asphalt and concrete with grassy fields and over 9,000 native and drought-resistant trees.
It is powered by 100% renewable energy. With 17 megawatts of rooftop solar, Apple Park will run one of the largest on-site solar energy installations in the world.
It is the site of the world’s largest naturally ventilated building, projected to require no heating or air conditioning for nine months of the year.
That's dope!
Besides the building, critic talks about more . . .
On Computer World, Johnny Evans claims that Apple is the infrastructure company.
With HomeKit and iOS based innovation, Apple can have a place in markets of Smart Infrastrature under the roof.
He also says that the company is already in Industry 4.0, since iOS and its based operation is everywhere in the industry. Most improtantly, it is updated rapidly.
"Nowadays, in almost every deployment, you’ll find the applications used to interface with this increasingly smart industrial capacity are also available for iOS," said Evans.
On ARS Technica, Samuel Axon mentions that Apple plans to build its own financial infrastructure for payments and lending.
With Apple Card and their latest Apple Pay and Apple Pay Later services, the company is right in the center of financial infrastructure.
"The company's growing emphasis on financial services reflects its efforts to transition from what some call a "hit-based" business—like a new iPhone or other product that may or may not generate huge demand based on various factors, some outside of Apple's control—to more consistent, recurring revenue from customers," said Axon.