Thesis Work – Investigating the environmental impact of AI & Future Technologies at ABB Robotics
Agriculture, Energy & Environment · Environmental Services · Sustainability
In short
Investigate the environmental impact of AI and future technologies for ABB Robotics by developing a methodology for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This thesis work will quantify energy, water, and other impacts throughout the product lifecycle, identifying hotspots and evaluating future scenarios for sustainability.
Responsibilities
- Develop a methodology to quantify the environmental impact (energy, water, etc.) of future technologies throughout the whole life cycle (training, architecture hardware, data cost, inference/sensing).
- Identify hotspots and potential rebound effects.
- Evaluate different future scenarios, such as when AI becomes more sustainable and which deployment architectures are better.
- Conduct a literature study on the environmental impacts of AI and future technologies.
- Perform a deep dive into ABB Robotics' current setup.
- Quantify the influence of AI and future technologies with a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) using SimaPro Software.
- Depending on interest and initial results, evaluate different technical scenarios (deployment architecture, infrastructure, materials, inferences) and environmental scenarios (renewable energy, etc.).
- Document findings and provide recommendations for implementation.
- Live ABB’s core values of safety and integrity.
Requirements
- Engineering student in sustainability, environmental, or energy.
- Knowledgeable about carbon footprints/LCAs and SimaPro.
- Experience with Excel.
- Fluent English in speaking and writing.
- Ability to work independently while collaborating with the team.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience with PowerBi and VBA is interesting, but not necessary.
- Curious, self-driven, structured and analytical mindset.
Benefits
- Thesis opportunity within R&D sustainability team.
- Opportunity to work with world-class experts in a fast-moving, innovation-driven environment.
- 30 ECTS/högskolepoäng(hp).
- Potential for flexible work arrangements (Distance/On site in Västerås).
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