The ABB Ability platform is central to this mission. Its Genix Industrial Analytics and AI Suite is able to integrate data across operational, engineering, and IT systems, which the company says can improve workplace productivity by up to 8 %.

ABB also says that these smart tools can reduce maintenance costs by 15 %, subsequently extending asset life by 25 %. For energy operators wrestling with ageing infrastructure and tightening emissions targets, those are figures that demand and command attention.

ABB’ s approach is notably pragmatic. Rather than demanding disruptive overhauls, the company champions gradual modernisation and retrofitting, allowing clients with legacy assets to integrate AI and digital solutions at their own pace. Perhaps the best example of this philosophy in action is ABB’ s approach to large-scale power grids, which require piecemeal renovations.

With the IEA projecting that electricity will account for 50 % of global energy use by 2050, ABB has been bolstering its grid automation portfolio through targeted acquisitions, recognising that an increasingly electrified world will require infrastructure of extraordinary sophistication.

124 April 2026