On the verge of a global summit aimed to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, Giatec, a leading innovator for building more sustainable concrete, announced a strategy based on a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool to cut at least 400 million tons annually of GHG emissions, the equivalent of taking 110 million cars off the road. Every year, 20 billion tons (10 billion cubic yards) of concrete is produced globally, making it the number one product created by humans. This translates to approximately 2 billion tons of GHG emissions.
Giatec believes its strategy can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 20% by getting the very conservative construction industry to accept new ways to design concrete mixes. After 3 years and well over $3 million in research efforts, Giatec launched SmartMix. SmartMix is the world’s first web-based AI program that applies millions of data points worldwide – the richest concrete dataset assembled. The data comes from embedded wireless sensors developed by Giatec. SmartMix analyzes all the variables for a project’s specifications. Then, it creates the best mix to reduce cement use and still meet performance expectations.
Cement is the “glue” that holds together the ingredients of concrete. Nearly a pound of CO2 is produced for every pound of cement made. That accounts for approximately 8% of global GHG emissions. If the industry were a country, it would rank as the third-largest contributor of GHG behind both China and the United States.
Global Summit focus
A low-carbon economy is the focus of this week’s global summit hosted by President Biden’s administration. With Biden recommitting the United States to the Paris climate agreement, the recovery for the COVID-19-impacted economy and the construction industry will, without a doubt, be green. The platform the U.S. President ran on includes a plan to invest $2 trillion in sustainable infrastructure. This is money will be to meet the ambitious climate progress that science demands.
Pouria Ghods, Giatec Co-Founder and CEO says, “Our mandate and our vision are that within three to five years we will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of concrete. We are already seeing these changes with SmartMix. A recent project saved an additional 15,000 pounds of cement. That’s 12,000 pounds of CO2, on a 1,000 cubic yard pour, thanks to our AI program.”
Aali Alizadeh, Co-Founder and CTO of Giatec laid out the company’s strategy, “Our goal is to revolutionize the concrete industry. Our vast database with millions of data points enables SmartMix to make accurate decisions. Thus, optimizing costs and the environmental impact of concrete.”
Giatec is leading the way using new AI to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the following:
- Extending the SmartMix AI program that calculates the ideal amount of cement and also chemical additives for any mix specifications and reduces CO2 emissions,
- Innovating smart sensors which provide decision-making data, digitalizing the industry to help save time, money, and also tons of concrete waste,
- Mobilizing the brightest minds in sustainable construction at Giatec’s annual Net Zero Construction Conference,
- Educating the industry with an ever-growing resource library aimed at teaching advanced concrete techniques,
- Planting one tree for every product order shipped worldwide to offset the impact of GHG emissions.
There will be an expected surge in concrete production over the next few years. This comes as post-COVID recovery plans take place including new infrastructure work. Giatec believes now is the time to start making changes that reduce GHG emissions of concrete production.
About Giatec
Giatec is a global company. They are revolutionizing the construction industry by bringing both smart testing technologies and real-time data collection to the forefront of every jobsite. Giatec’s suite of both hardware and software products has leveraged advanced technologies such as; Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Internet of Things (IoT), including; wireless concrete sensors, mobile apps, and also advanced non-destructive technologies (NDT) to drive innovation throughout concrete’s lifecycle. For more information you can also visit www.giatec.ca
