New report from Siemens: From Pilots to Performance – Scaling Sustainability Impact with AI

A report from Siemens finds industrial AI is cutting energy use and carbon, as manufacturers move beyond pilots to large-scale deployment. Georgia Collins discusses the report in an article on the Manufacturing Digital website.

 

How Industrial AI Boosts Sustainability and Performance

Artificial intelligence and sustainability have become two of the most important factors and challenges for industries globally. As the urgency to address both grows, innovators are discovering ways to make them mutually accelerating.

With 74% of organisations targeting net zero by 2040, AI is now viewed as essential infrastructure for tackling decarbonisation at the necessary speed and scale.

In a new report, From Pilots to Performance: How Industrial AI is Helping to Scale Sustainability Impact, Siemens, in cooperation with Reuters Events, explores this landscape. The study surveyed 263 senior sustainability professionals, providing key insights into AI adoption and its environmental outcomes.

AI adoption generates measurable gains

The research reveals that many organisations are advancing beyond the experimental phase.

Nearly two-thirds (63%) have progressed past pilot projects to targeted or widespread deployment of industrial AI for sustainability, an acceleration translating into tangible environmental results.

The report indicates that almost two-thirds of companies are achieving average energy savings of 23% while 59% have realised carbon dioxide reductions averaging 24%. These figures represent a notable improvement from 2024, when 41% reported energy savings and just 36% achieved CO2 reductions.

Eva Riesenhuber, Global Head of Sustainability at Siemens, says: “The complexity of juggling global interconnected system transitions in times of major disruptions can only be mastered with AI.”

Energy management and grid optimisation

Energy management has surfaced as the most mature application for industrial AI, with 65% of organisations now implementing solutions in this area.

According to the survey, 52% of respondents identified optimising energy consumption as the primary way AI will help them achieve their sustainability goals.

Practical examples highlight these benefits. The Dutch electricity and gas network company Alliander is using Gridscale X software from Siemens to support its energy transition. By creating a digital twin of the grid for real-time visibility, Alliander can boost grid utilisation by up to 30% without needing physical infrastructure upgrades.

In Estonia, Greenergy Data Centers has deployed a Siemens White Space Cooling Optimization management system.

Kert Evert, Chief Development Officer at Greenergy Data Centers, explains the environmental impact was immediate.

“When we first launched the system, it improved our efficiency by approximately 30% at the push of a button,” he says. “But this was just the beginning because the system learns, adapts and improves over time.”

Embedding sustainability in product design

Beyond operational functions, AI is being used to improve resource efficiency and enable a circular economy. The study found 60% of organisations have implemented AI for resource efficiency management, while 43% use it for better waste management.

At the product level, 63% of companies have implemented generative design, allowing them to optimise for material efficiency and carbon footprint from the start.

Eryn Devola, Head of Sustainability at Digital Industries, a division within Siemens, says AI tools are making sustainable design more practical.

She continues: “It’s now easier to say, ‘while we’re working on this design, let’s also address resource efficiency and carbon footprint’. Today, we can model these factors and embed them into decision-making.”

Siemens demonstrated this by developing lightweight robot grippers using a carbon-reduced polymer. The new components generate just 30kg of CO2 from cradle to gate compared with 670kg for conventional metal grippers. Confidence in AI’s impact is growing.

Brooke Tvermoes, Director of Climate Energy and Environment at IBM’s Chief Sustainability Office, says: “We implemented AI in our manufacturing operations and the focus was actually to help improve product quality and yield. But by doing that we also reduced waste and energy consumption.”

Peter Koerte, Managing Board Member and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Siemens, adds: “AI is already transforming how we build and power the world – making it more sustainable every step of the way.”

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