Digital twins key to sustainability agenda, research shows

A new piece of research has shown that 60 per cent of organisations across major sectors are looking to digital twins as a catalyst to fulfil their sustainability agendas, as well as improve operational performance.

The Digital Twins: Adding Intelligence to the Real World report from Capgemini Research Institute shows that through simulation of the physical world, digital twins can help organisations to better utilise resources, reduce carbon emissions, optimise supply and transportation networks, and increase employee safety.

Digital twins set for take off

The report shows that the implementation of digital twins is projected to increase by 36 per cent on average over the course of the next five years, illustrating the appetite for the technology across all major industries, such as automotive, energy and utilities.

The key drivers of digital twin investment according to research respondents so far are the cost-saving benefits (79 per cent) and technological advancement (77 per cent) that the technology provides. While that may seem unsurprising, an emerging use case for digital twin technology is in helping organisations to meet sustainability objectives.

“By bridging the ‘physical-digital’ gap, digital twins help organisations to unlock value, bring synergies across data, technologies, and business processes, and are at the core of Intelligent Industry transformation.”

Roshan Gya, global head of intelligent industry, Capgemini

Fifty-seven per cent of those surveyed agreed that digital twins are pivotal in improving sustainability efforts. A third of those surveyed (34 per cent) reported that they have already implemented digital twins at scale to understand and predict energy consumption and emissions, for example, with those who have done so collectively realising an average improvement of 16 per cent in terms of sustainability metrics.

The value of digital twin technology

Commenting on the survey results at the launch of the report, Capgemini’s global head of intelligent industry, Roshan Gya, said: “By bridging the ‘physical-digital’ gap, digital twins help organisations to unlock value, bring synergies across data, technologies, and business processes, and are at the core of Intelligent Industry transformation. Digital twins offer a unique opportunity for organisations looking to accelerate their journey towards intelligent operations, while increasing profitability and enabling a sustainable future.”

Digital twins are increasingly providing major industries with more flexible ways of mitigating risks and collaborating with others. In aiding organisations to become more operationally efficient and sustainable, the adoption of digital twin technology can drive profitability, reduce costs, and optimise the use of resources throughout respective value chains.