Technology can make life better in Mexico. Here’s how.
Mexico’s cities are bursting at the seams. I’ve just spent quite some time there stuck in traffic. It’s astonishing. And no wonder, given that the population has trebled in my lifetime. Mexico has more people than Japan. It’s the 10th largest population in the world. And one of the most urbanized countries in Latin America. Eighty percent of Mexicans live in cities.
Economically, that’s a great opportunity. But it is also a challenge for communities feeling the impact of climate change. It’s a challenge for the infrastructure systems cities rely on, from transportation and water to energy and healthcare. Cities need to become smarter with digital technologies.
Take water infrastructure, for example. Mexico City pipes in about 70 percent of its water supply and struggles with significant leaks in the distribution system — 40 percent water is lost before reaching consumers. The solution: using artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce water leakage by up to 50 percent.
Technology makes life better by increasing efficiency and not just in the way we use energy and other natural resources. AI can improve the images of medical scanners and increase the capacity of railway networks by 30 percent without any new track. It makes buildings and cities more economical. Digitalization is key to combining progress and sustainability, to improving quality of life.
Siemens has many technologies to help Mexico transform urban centers like Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Mexico City into fully integrated smart cities. Cities with smart buildings and efficient public transport powered by sustainable energy. Cities with smart grids and real-time environmental monitoring, that create more sustainable, connected, and efficient urban landscapes.
The key is to think in terms of ecosystems, not silos. Digitalization connects various sectors — such as energy, transportation, and heating — into a cohesive, interconnected system. Data and AI allow us to manage everything from the power grid, gas, and heating systems to buildings, transportation, parking, traffic management, and even electromobility.
Smart city technologies already offer solutions to drive this transition. Just a few weeks ago, Siemens broke ground on one of Europe’s largest urban development projects. Siemensstadt Square will transform an industrial brownfield in Berlin into a catalyst for sustainable, healthy growth.
All the technologies needed are available on Siemens Xcelerator, the open, digital, business platform designed to speed up the use of smart technologies. A platform that’s open to third parties, with easy financing by offering its products as a service, where open APIs make everything interoperable.
In Mexican cities too, AI and digital twins will revolutionize daily life and work. Buildings account for 40 percent of global energy consumption, yet 30 percent of the energy they use is wasted. By equipping buildings with digitalized, networked, and intelligent systems, we can reduce their ecological footprint significantly. Technology makes it possible.
For instance, digital twins can improve a building’s carbon footprint even before construction begins. By creating a digital twin, owners can simulate efficiency, safety, and comfort, making net-zero carbon emissions achievable. Smart buildings minimize waste and make urban centers greener and more sustainable.
Smart grids will be needed to keep the buildings running. With demand for electricity projected to triple by 2050, one of the top priorities for the energy industry today is to increase grid capacity fast. Another is to ensure they remain stable as more renewable energy sources come online, decentralized and intermittent. Due to its climate, Mexico has a huge potential here.
Also, Mexico has witnessed an impressive uptake of electric vehicles in recent years. More electric vehicles need more charging infrastructure. And to manage it all, grid management platforms will need to become more modular, adaptable, and scalable applications.
Next-generation software is the key. It empowers grid operators to enhance grid stability, improve asset performance, and make informed decisions. Modular, interoperable software will make the difference, such as our Gridscale X. It ensures intelligent grid control and protection, secure grid stability and flexibility to continuously match energy supply with demand.
All this is paving the way toward the vision of autonomous grid management, accelerating digital transformation for grid operators at speed and scale. But it needs innovative hardware too. Like our new protective switching device Sentron ECPD: it switches electronically and is up to 1,000 times faster and more precise than traditional switches. Technology that makes life in cities better.
Siemens is supporting customers as they build the smart buildings, smart grids and smart infrastructure needed for the smart cities of the future. Digitalization and innovative technology are enormously important levers for sustainability. The technologies are here. Now we must scale them to reach net zero.
Experienced international CEO | Transformative business leader | Multi-faceted experience in process industries and materials | Passion for cross-cultural organizations
4moVery interesting and impressive case study demonstrating how much potential there is for sustainability in building and urban planning when ones thinks big and takes a broader perspective!
Enterprise Software Architect / VP | Innovative Technology Pioneer
5moMy wife is from Mexico. It's definitely a place I plan on visiting in the future to discover new opportunities.