Digital transformation starts at the atomic level to make industry more sustainable

Introduction

During the COVID-19 outbreak, Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering's Materials Characterization and Processing department moved to the historic Stieff Silver Building on the edge of the university's Homewood campus. The department is one of the country's leading academic programs dedicated to MCP. It was not until September that MCP celebrated its official opening at the start of a new academic year. The delay was a fitting introduction to the theme of the Innovation Nexus workshop, which aimed to address the grand challenges of today's world and how technology and MCP can contribute to making industries more sustainable and less dependent on critical minerals amid these challenges.

The Take

In recent years, many global enterprises have faced significant disruptions due to various crises. The pandemic forced industries into lockdown, leading to major supply chain disruptions as key ports in China were closed. Just as industries began to recover, the Suez Canal was blocked for six days by the Ever Given cargo ship, compounding the chaos. The beginning of 2022 saw the escalation of geopolitical tensions with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which caused energy prices to skyrocket.

Additionally, China's relationship with Taiwan added further strain to international relations. These consecutive crises have complicated the global fight against climate change, making it more challenging to achieve the goals set out in the Paris Agreement and decarbonize industries. At Innovation Nexus, the intersection of fundamental research and emerging technology was highlighted as crucial to unlocking a more sustainable future and making our industries more resilient in the face of global crises.

The energy transition

The need to decarbonize industries to meet the Paris Agreement goals for the energy sector is facing a "trilemma." The first challenge is to become more environmentally sustainable as the energy sector strives to decarbonize itself, being one of the largest contributors of CO2 emissions. Amid the energy transition, the sector is replacing fossil-fuel-based energy with renewable energy. As we move to an all-electric society, however, more power will be required for the electrification of industries and transport.

The 2022 energy crisis in Europe added to the challenge of environmental sustainability as it caused many enterprises and residents to abandon their net-zero ambitions and switch from renewable energy to cheaper fossil fuels to lower the cost of production. On a global scale, the crisis also impacted the second challenge of energy security. As the EU looks to reduce its reliance on Russian oil and gas, the continent must secure its energy needs elsewhere.

The strong economies in Europe were able to secure their needs at a premium, which affects the third challenge of the energy trilemma: "energy equity," the affordability and availability of energy supply across the population. Despite Europe's ability to secure the necessary energy sources, prices soared, and many residents were left in the cold as they could not afford the high fees. However, the impact spread far beyond Europe as lesser economies saw their energy supply being hijacked by Europe.

Greening the atoms

From a technological standpoint, emerging technologies can help industries reduce CO2 emissions by optimizing production processes and enhancing energy efficiency. The industrial internet of things, artificial intelligence and digital twins are pivotal enabling technologies. In the energy sector, digitalization allows utilities to better predict power demand and balance loads, with the virtualization of substations potentially increasing the capacity of the existing power grid by as much as 30%. AI is poised to define the next generation of research in material characterization and processing, holding the promise of greening the atoms. This potential is evident not only at Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering's MCP department, but also across academic institutions and corporate research and development facilities.

As utilities transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, challenges arise. China holds a significant market share in the production of both wind turbines and solar photovoltaic panels, and shipping disruptions spurred by the pandemic and Ever Given blockade have further complicated supply chains. Additionally, both turbines and solar PV systems require critical metals and minerals, and China dominates the battery market along with the resources needed for production.

Beyond these geopolitical dependencies, batteries often rely on conflict minerals from other regions, and mining operations have detrimental effects on the environment. While technology alone cannot resolve these issues, it can facilitate research that merges physics-based and data-driven modeling via advanced generative AI models, employing a hierarchical, multiagent "mixture of experts" framework. AI can sift through vast data libraries of material characteristics, suggesting alternative compositions or alloys that meet specific requirements.

In 2023, Microsoft Corp. introduced Azure Quantum Elements, a system designed to accelerate advancements in chemical and materials science by leveraging high-performance computing and AI. The company is aiming to compress 250 years of chemistry over the next 25 years. In a proof of concept, it sought to discover a new, more sustainable battery chemistry to mitigate supply chain risks. By utilizing AI to explore countless combinations of natural building blocks, Microsoft quickly identified several promising candidates with desirable characteristics, achieving results in weeks rather than the years typically required for traditional research. Collaborating with academia, the vendor is now validating its findings and collaborating with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on further developments.

Environmental challenges in the energy sector extend beyond rare minerals and can be observed throughout the power infrastructure. Switchgear, for instance, relies heavily on sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 23,900 times greater than CO2. Since the 1950s, SF6 has been essential in gas-insulated switchgear for cooling circuit breakers and extinguishing sparks.

The latest F-gas regulation in the EU aims to reduce the deployment of fluorinated gases by two-thirds by 2030 compared with 2014 levels. Since the regulation's introduction in 2015, the industry has worked diligently to develop more sustainable alternatives. At last year's CIRED conference in Rome, many vendors showcased their SF6-free switchgear, but Isik Kiziyalli, senior director of technology at Stanford's Doerr School of Sustainability, noted that current options only cater to lower-voltage switchgear. AI is driving the quest for high-voltage alternatives.

In addition to SF6, the utility sector's extensive reliance on steel presents challenges. Demand for "green steel" far exceeds supply, yet AI can contribute to making steel production more sustainable. For instance, AI can modify steel characteristics to reduce corrosiveness, as highlighted by Nick Birbilis, executive dean of the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment at Deakin University in Australia.

The energy transition also imposes new requirements on chipmakers. As computational power increases, so do the operating temperatures of chipsets. Battery electric vehicles and power transmission systems are pushing the limits of silicon, opening avenues for alternative semiconductors such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride (GaN). Many semiconductor providers have broadened their portfolios with wide-bandgap technologies via either in-house development or M&A (e.g., Renesas Electronics Corp.'s acquisition of Transphorm for $339 million in 2024). However, China controls 95% of the GaN market, necessitating the search for or synthesis of alternatives to reduce dependency.

At the Innovation Nexus, representatives from academia, including Johns Hopkins University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Stanford University; University of California, Berkeley; University of Pennsylvania and The University of Utah, collaborated with industry leaders from the Air Force Research Laboratory, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, General Motors Co., GE Vernova Advanced Research, Microsoft, Rockwell Automation Inc., RTX Technology Research Center and US Cellular Corp.

The confluence of academic and industry expertise at Innovation Nexus signifies a commitment to addressing the pressing challenges of sustainability and resource dependence. As we navigate the complexities of the modern world, the integration of innovative technologies and collaborative research will be essential in forging a path toward a more sustainable and resilient future. Through ongoing partnerships and advancements, Johns Hopkins' Materials Characterization and Processing department and its collaborators hope to lead the charge in transforming industries and contributing to a greener planet.