Swedish water supplier VA SYD used industrial AI techniques to reduce water leakage rates from 10 per cent to less than 8 per centListen to Pina Schlombs discuss sustainability and the future of industrial AI with CoLab New Scientist
At heart, AI is software that performs tasks traditionally requiring human intellect, such as understanding text, identifying complex patterns, modelling processes, and making predictions. But in an industrial context, AI systems must be engineered for reliability and security. That allows them to be built into the industrial backbone of economies, optimising and improving processes in everything from healthcare and mobility to power generation and infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Siemens is working with Yorkshire Water and the University of Sheffield, using AI to protect the environment at the other end of the water cycle. In combined sewage systems, stormwater runoff and household sewage together flow to water treatment plants. And in times of intense rainfall, combined sewer outlets are designed to release excess water and sewage into rivers to prevent flooding in public areas.
Looking ahead, Cartwright considers the potential for AI and digital technologies to reduce carbon and environmental impact by more carefully managing water and energy use. “Pumping water accounts for 2-3 per cent of a country’s power use,” he says. By ensuring that this pumping is done when energy is at its cheapest and greenest, industrial AI can reduce costs for water and increase resilience for both sectors.
“When we first launched the system, it improved our efficiency by approximately 30 per cent at the push of a button,” says Kert Evert, Chief Development Officer of Greenergy Data Centers.