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Generative AI for advanced engineering and automation
Together, we will harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to increase speed and flexibility of our Engineered-to-Order process.
The challenge
The journey toward a carbon-neutral energy system will be dependent upon extreme flexibility. The shift of focus to renewable power sources, decentralized power generation and new electrical storage solutions requires utilities to develop concepts for integrating these into power systems. At the same, overall system reliability and security needs to be continuously maintained.
This is also a challenge to the electricity network protection and control applications, which need to be constantly adapted to changing situations. New concepts related to Engineered-to-Order and mass customization is required for protection and control relays and other automation devices.
We are looking for a mechanism that will use AI to develop machine-readable configuration files for automatic selection and engineering of protection relays. This solution would also include a tool to verify accuracy of the proposed offering and the configuration.
What is the solution we are seeking from startups?
The ABB relay and protection product portfolio requires engineering knowledge to select the right configuration for our customers based on the specifications they provide to us. Currently, customers provide inputs via diagrams and schematics, which an engineer translates and interprets to manually configure the product.
This challenge is to develop a solution to automate the product configuration by incorporating AI into the RFQ process. The tool would enable AI to complete the selection and configuration and would include a testing tool to automatically verify the accuracy of the proposed configurations.
What is the impact of the solution for the market/customers?
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Improve our internal process to offer more efficient, standard configurations to our customers, with increased speed and flexibility, that are less prone to mistakes.
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Limit the requirement to continually keep pace with upskilling engineers. This is becoming increasingly challenging due to the dynamic nature of the grid that is causing continual changes in how the network is operated, which impacts how we engineer and use automation systems.
Key technologies and applications addressed in the challenge:
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Generative artificial intelligence
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Development operations and test automation
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Substation automation technologies and standards
Focus Areas:
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Utilities
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Renewables
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Industry
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Data Centers
Additional links:
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ABB Electrification Distribution Solutions
ABB’s Distribution Solutions division offers medium voltage solutions that connect and protect the evolving grid. We enable the reliable integration of diverse power sources, including renewable energy, into the grid, ensuring continuous power delivery to industries, commercial facilities, and residential users. Our future-proof solutions detect and isolate potential grid disruptions, protecting utilities and industries from power outages. Our digital solutions, powered by AI, enhance grid resilience by enabling grid fault analysis and prediction. We support our customers and partners in staying ahead of increasing electrification needs and regulatory changes, providing the power to adapt to a rapidly evolving energy landscape.
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Winners Package
Collaboration financing
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$30,000 to collaborate and develop the solution (MVP – Minimal viable product) with ABB
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Opportunity to show and share the solution in a pilot or customer test case
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Access to lab environments we jointly use with customers, allowing ABB customers to actively experience the solution and share their feedback
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ABB Startup Challenge 2025
Hosted by ABB & SynerLeap, Partnered by Microsoft
ABB
Helping industries become leaner and cleaner. ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and re-source-efficient future. By connecting its engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries run at high performance, while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable so they outperform. At ABB, we call this ‘Engineered to Outrun’. The company has over 140 years of history and more than 105,000 employees worldwide.
www.abb.com
SynerLeap powered by ABB
By bringing startups, ABB, industrial partners and our customers together through our innovation growth hub SynerLeap, we ignite innovation transfer across industries, ranging from industrial automation, and robotics to grid technologies, smart cities, buildings and transportation technologies. So far we have created more than 260 collaborations, together with our 240 startup members from 26 countries. SynerLeap brings in up to 4 new members monthly, and one new ABB collaboration is starting every week. Sandvik, Microsoft, Hitachi Energy and IBM are just a few examples of our partners that together bring value into our entrepreneurial ecosystem. We are open to international members!
www.synerleap.com
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft)
Microsoft enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. With the dedicated Microsoft for Startups Program, Microsoft helps cloud-based startups with a B2B focus growand scale through a global ecosystem of customers and partners. The focus is on building a long-term partnership with the startup, while ensuring thatintellectual property is always owned by the inventors and founders.
www.microsoft.com/startups
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