Digital twins set to save cities $280 billion

Digital twin technology is expected to lead the way in transforming our cities, saving billions in running costs, and assisting towards net-zero targets.

A report by global tech market advisory firm ABI Research, says the cost benefits alone could be worth US$280 billion by 2030 through using digital twins for more efficient urban planning.

“Digital twins will become the ultimate tool for city governments to design, plan and manage their connected infrastructure and assets in an efficient and cost-effective way,” said Dominique Bonte, Vice President End Markets at ABI Research.

“Cost savings can be obtained in key areas, such as energy and utilities, transportation, safety and security, and infrastructure (roads/buildings). However, urban digital twins also offer many other advantages in terms of supporting and improving sustainability, circularity, decarbonisation, and the overall quality of urban living.”

The report details potential efficiencies across a wide range of asset categories and use cases:

• First-time suitable designs of buildings and other physical infrastructure, avoiding expensive modifications after completion
• Energy-efficient building designs maximising solar capacity and yielding lifetime energy savings
• Resilient and safe infrastructure designs reducing policing and emergency response costs
• Optimised designs of utilities, streetlight, and surveillance networks to achieve the same coverage target with less CapEx
• Design of COVID-19-proof buildings to deliver healthcare savings
• Digital twins enable efficient e-government through seamless exchange of data with citizens for mediation purposes.

Cityzenith has featured in this research alongside Siemens, Microsoft, and Engie, and recently joined the World Economic Forum’s Top 100 Global Innovators community.

Digital twins becoming an essential

Cityzenith Founder and CEO Michael Jansen commented after reading the report: “As an architect by trade, I know how inefficient and over budget the built environment has been over the last 30 years or more, often causing delays in completion and inefficient use of materials due to the industry’s lack of data and technology.

“It’s a huge global problem as we seek a more efficient and sustainable model for our urban planning, and construction must catch up with the pace of emissions reduction in other industries such as manufacturing.

Cityzenith’s pioneering work has been recognised by an international World Smart City Award from the Open Business Council and status as a Top 10 Digital Twin provider by Manufacturing Technology Insights in the last year.

Bonte at ABI Research concluded: “While the cost-saving advantages of digital twins allow cities to achieve fast ROIs, the increasingly complex nature of connected and smart urban infrastructure, especially in view of future smart urban concepts, will simply mandate the deployment of digital twins as critical, holistic management tools, similar to the role they play in other industries like manufacturing.”

Cityzenith has the second of its webinar series in partnership with Cities Today – ‘Digital twins set to save cities $280bn’ – on 21 September 2021 at 1pm CT (7pm BST).

Cityzenith’s CEO and Founder Michael Jansen will discuss the key commercial benefits of implementing digital twin technology, along with the massive return on investment from adopting this software solution within cities, buildings and infrastructure.

With mid-term savings estimated between US$2-5 per square foot from an investment of US$.10 per square foot, giving a 35 percent cut in maintenance and operating costs, 20 percent boost in productivity and between 50-100 percent reductions in carbon emissions, this offers major change for urban areas and energy resilience.

You can register for the free webinar here.

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