Industrial infrastructure and compliance trends drive technological shifts

ABB has identified electrical infrastructure as a primary bottleneck in the decarbonization of heavy industries, such as steel and aluminum production. As these sectors aim to reduce CO2 emissions—with steel alone accounting for 7% to 9% of global emissions—the transition toward electric arc furnaces (EAFs) and green hydrogen integration requires stable power conversion.

To manage this, the use of High Power Rectifiers (HPR) is essential to convert alternating current (AC) from the grid into stable direct current (DC). ABB emphasizes that modernizing these systems through digitalization and high-power semiconductors is critical to ensuring that renewable energy can support heavy industrial loads without interrupting vital processes.

In a separate corporate development, SGS and SoftExpert have announced an alliance focused on compliance and quality infrastructure. The partnership aims to address data fragmentation and low operational visibility by offering a ‘Digital Business Assurance’ model. This combines SGS’s independent auditing and regulatory expertise with SoftExpert’s technological platform to manage risks, ESG, and corporate performance through a unified digital system.