Staying connected

ABB brought in key leaders in the Data Center and Electric Vehicles (EV) segments to deliver keynote presentations as part of the MENA EV Charging Infratech Forum 2021 and Future Datacenters & Cloud Infrastructure Summit 2021 tradeshows. 

We took part virtually, with speakers joining the event remotely. Both segments are high-growth areas, and I want to share the highlights of our discussions at both events.

ABB's Group E-Mobility Solutions Area Manager, Wim Elshout, discussed the disruptive evolution of E-Mobility Infrastructure. Transformation is expected to occur from the upstream utility power distribution network all the way to the charge point networks. This highlights the vital role utilities will play in providing a two-way cost-effective DC distribution network, unlocking energy trade's potential right from the vehicle to the grid.

The charging network should be mapped and planned beyond a building, community, or even a single city. It should expand to cover an interconnected network between cities, countries, and continents. An inevitable success factor in a profitable charging network business model really comes down to securing the correct location.

Today, most of these locations are owned by fueling stations. These fueling stations have already embraced the charge point operator's business model and utilized their space accordingly. 

In the race to secure locations, we can see car-OEMs teaming up and investing in building charging network empires on a national and continental level, like Electrify America and IONITY. 

Furthermore, in emerging markets, fueling stations partner with car-OEMs-joint-ventures to accelerate the expansion of High-Power Charging networks. And there are many more innovative public-private partnership business models we expect to see in that race to secure locations when reliable E-Mobility Infrastructure Solutions are available to support. 

Data centers are another segment that ABB has been and will continue investing in in the future. Consolidation and security of data have gained a lot of importance in the past number of years. 

A rapid growth in data center implementation has been seen over the past decade. Due to the latest trends & technology in IT & Telecom, power consumption has increased dramatically, and the need for energy-efficient data centers is critical. The Middle East is also seeing significant growth in large data centers.

I am happy that we had a chance to share our insights through these virtual sessions, but I look forward to meeting everyone in person to share and exchange our knowledge to build a safe, smart, and sustainable future.