Industrial AI and our energy future

The energy industry has lagged in adopting AI, but industrial AI could create value through predictive maintenance and optimisation

The success of energy companies is becoming more complex, with the dual challenge of supplying the world’s growing demand while achieving the planet’s need for increased sustainability. Digital technology, particularly AI, is becoming crucial to navigating this complexity and the marketplace’s volatility. 22pc of respondents in a 2020 survey from consulting firm McKinsey report at least 5pc of earnings before interest and taxes (Ebit) attributable to AI. In the manufacturing (process and discrete) sector, 15pc of the AI use cases are in the areas of energy and yield optimisation, and another 12pc in predictive maintenance. But almost every analysis shows that the energy industry is a laggard