How Khon Kaen University Broadened Device Access With Lenovo CO₂ Offset Services

Nestled among the forests of northeastern Thailand, Khon Kaen University (KKU) has 40,000 students across its five colleges. Founded in 1964 with a goal of bringing higher education to the Khon Kaen region, KKU supports underprivileged communities through large-scale initiatives that address health and educational disparities in the region. KKU also plans to become a ‘Green University’ to assist the region’s drive toward Net Zero. Part of this mission is ensuring students access computing power in the most sustainable way possible, including addressing the environmental impact of technology across its lifecycle. When laptops are used throughout the school day, decisions about device design, longevity and energy efficiency become materially important.

KKU offers 290 academic programs, delivered by 10,000 staff and faculty members. Digital technology is central to its approach, with students logging into the university’s learning management system (LMS) to access course content. As the world of work continues to evolve, KKU has a focus on equipping students with the technology skills needed to thrive in tomorrow’s workplace. All students, regardless of discipline, are taught foundational courses in artificial intelligence (AI), analytics and cloud technologies.

Recognizing that equitable access was critical to its education model, KKU sought a trusted technology provider that could deliver devices at scale to students unable to obtain their own, and to help reduce the environmental impact of those devices. When the pandemic hit and global supply chains were stretched to breaking point, KKU turned to Lenovo and partner Infinity Data to ensure devices reached the students who needed them most.

“As digital learning became more central to our teaching mode, we needed to ensure that every student without their own device could access our course content,” said Dr. Kitt Tientanopajai, Assistant to the President for Digital at KKU. “Lenovo and Infinity Data helped us to roll out brand new devices extremely quickly, in spite of the major disruption at the time.”

Delivering access

Following an initial deployment during the pandemic, KKU subsequently established a permanent program for eligible students to borrow laptops, removing the need to visit university computer labs in person. As existing hardware approached end of life, KKU took the opportunity to upgrade with a suite of devices to maximize availability by minimizing downtime. Lenovo ThinkPad, tested to U.S. Department of Defense MIL-STD 810G standards, met these requirements. The university opted to build on its established relationship with Lenovo, combining high-performance devices from Lenovo and cost-effective financing from Infinity Data.

For the university’s students, KKU rolled out 1,785 Lenovo ThinkBook laptops. For faculty and staff, 250 desktops were replaced with Lenovo ThinkCentre all-in-one PCs, while the computer labs were equipped with cutting edge Lenovo ThinkStation PX workstations. Dr. Tientanopajai added: “Price and performance were among our most important selection criteria. Durability was also crucial, as we want to ensure that many different students can benefit from using a laptop over the lifetime of the asset.”

Another key benefit of working with Lenovo and Infinity Data was access to Lenovo’s sustainability solutions, which was particularly important given the growing focus on environmental sustainability and new government targets for universities. To support KKU’s sustainability objectives, Lenovo included its CO₂ Offset Services as part of the device deployment. This service calculates emissions across the full lifecycle of each device, including manufacturing, shipping, packaging, use, and end-of-life activities such as recycling and reuse. These emissions are then offset through certified global environmental projects, including renewable energy initiatives.

John Stamer, Vice President and General Manager, Global Product and Sustainability Services at Lenovo said: “Our teams worked closely with Khon Kaen University to deliver the right technology to support teaching, learning and research, while also supporting the university’s sustainability goals through services such as Lenovo CO2 Offset Services. This approach has helped build a long-lasting relationship which ensures students – including those from disadvantaged backgrounds – have access to the technology they need to succeed.”

A sustainable approach

Reflecting on the impact of the new technology, Lenovo ThinkBook, ThinkCentre and ThinkStation hardware have enhanced the learning experience for students, making sure young people, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, have access to the tools and skills needed for tomorrow’s workforce, such as AI and analytics. This is crucial, as the training students receive today will help shape the strength of tomorrow’s skills economy.

Alongside these educational outcomes, Lenovo’s CO₂ Offset Services have helped Khon Kaen University offset more than 1,000 tons of CO₂ associated with its new device deployments, supporting the university’s broader sustainability goals.

Through its ongoing partnership with Lenovo and Infinity Data, the university continues to strengthen learning outcomes for all students while advancing its sustainability journey, helping to prepare future talent and deliver long-term environmental impact.

Sign up for Newsletter

News

How Khon Kaen University Broadened Device Access With Lenovo CO₂ Offset Services