AI-based technology to cut carbon emissions from cement production has made it through to the second round of the government\u2019s Manchester Prize.<\/p>\n
The Manchester Prize is a challenge from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) that rewards UK-led breakthroughs in AI.<\/p>\n
The winner will scoop a \u00a31m grand prize in early 2026.<\/p>\n
Among the 10 finalists in the second round for the prize is Carbon Re, which is building AI process control software to cut emissions in cement production.<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s AI-powered decarbonising solution aims to optimise industrial processes in real-time, which enables cement makers and other manufacturers in heavy industry to cut costs and emissions while transitioning to low-carbon operations.<\/p>\n
Carbon Re was spun out of University College London and the University of Cambridge.<\/p>\n
Another finalist is EnergyWall, a system that uses AI to design bespoke panels, which turn bricks into radiators to warm homes from the outside in, thus keeping a comfortable inside temperature all year round and simplifying the installation of heat pumps in older homes while reducing costs.<\/p>\n
EnergyWall is the flagship product of Underheat, which worked in partnership with the University of Salford.<\/p>\n
Its application is tailor-made for social housing, as it helps reduce carbon emissions, cuts energy bills, and tackles condensation that causes mould.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Deep.Meta is tackling carbon emissions in the steel industry with an AI-powered digital twin \u2013 a smart digital replica of the production process that combines physics and machine learning to optimise furnace operations.<\/p>\n
Using real-time sensor data and material science, Deep.Meta\u2019s AI accurately predicts steel slab temperatures, which boosts energy efficiency and significantly cuts emissions at furnaces.<\/p>\n
Other finalists in the second round for the Manchester Prize include Green Loops from the University of Wolverhampton, which uses machine learning to analyse the optical properties of materials and structures of solar cells.<\/p>\n
This addresses the challenge of recycling end-of-life photovoltaic (PV) cells by creating high-efficiency solar panels from recycled materials, the government said in its announcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cAI is opening up transformative new ways to tackle climate change and support the UK\u2019s ambition to become a clean energy superpower,\u201d secretary of state for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat includes using the technology to keep our homes warm, while also supporting projects which will use AI to slash carbon emissions in our cement and steel industries \u2013 sectors which account for 16 per cent of global emissions.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AI-based technology to cut carbon emissions from cement production has made it through to the second round of the government\u2019s Manchester Prize. The Manchester Prize is a challenge from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) that rewards UK-led breakthroughs in AI. The winner will scoop a \u00a31m grand prize in early 2026. Among …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":155754,"featured_media":513007,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[556,579],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-522420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sustainability","category-tech"],"yoast_head":"\n