AI-powered digital twins are about to revolutionize contemporary industrial clusters and significantly reduce building carbon emissions in cities. The world has long sought a means to sustain economic growth while achieving sustainable development goals and reducing CO2 emissions. According to experts at the World Economic Forum (WEF), the answer may lie in AI-powered digital twins.
Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical assets, including buildings, infrastructure, factories, and roads. Enhanced by IoT sensors, these digital counterparts promise unprecedented optimization in resource use. Emission control is particularly urgent for the built environment, with the potential to reduce emissions by up to 80%. Modern industrial clusters could see similar benefits, with streamlined waste and production processes.
While the potential has been evident, the challenge has been managing the vast amounts of data required to realize these benefits. This is where AI excels—uncovering insights from large datasets. The WEF notes that contemporary industrial clusters will likely be the first to implement AI-powered digital twins, as even minor performance enhancements can yield significant profits. Companies already collect extensive data on energy use and operational activities, from manufacturing to logistics. With AI, this data can soon translate into insights and new efficiency levels. However, the WEF points out that data silos remain a hurdle. To maximize the technology's benefits, companies must learn to share data within a digital ecosystem; the more data available, the better the AI performs.
The industrial advances can be mirrored in urban environments. Grid-interactive buildings, which use IoT and AI to manage energy consumption actively, are a case in point. By adjusting energy usage in real-time, these buildings optimize their interaction with the grid, aiding in the decarbonization of urban structures. Users can consume, store, and supply energy, a necessity for fully transitioning to green energy sources. In the US, this system is expected to potentially contribute 40% of additional renewable capacity by 2030, unlocking annual grid investment savings of nearly $12 billion.
New York City exemplifies legislative ambition with Local Law 97 (LL97), which mandates emissions caps for buildings over 25,000 square feet, affecting over 40,000 structures. The law requires a 40% emissions reduction by 2030 and 80% by 2050. This creates a fertile ground for innovation, and digital twin technology, paired with AI, could meet these demands. The technology enables predictive maintenance, scenario testing, risk management, and automated real-time reporting, leading to significant cost savings and operational efficiency.
IKEA has already demonstrated the viability of this technology. The furniture giant digitalized 37 of its retail stores in East Asia in just nine months, improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By connecting 7,000 data points from various systems into a single digital twin, IKEA managed 42 million square feet of space and 6,000 HVAC units, cutting energy consumption by the HVAC central supply system by 30%, with annual savings estimated in the millions.
At Archid Studio, digitalizing the built environment is our core competence. We have been investing in BIM, IoT, and digital twins expertise for years. It is exciting to see this technology evolve from a novelty to a game-changer, helping realize the dream of sustainable yet economically vibrant cities. Today, as we face climate change, the world is looking for tools to tackle the challenge. It seems that AI-powered digitalization is one of the critical tools in this ongoing transformation.
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