Recent developments
AI-enabled manufacturing
Eli Lilly will expand U.S. small‑molecule and peptide capacity via a new manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Alabama, a $6 billion project slated to start construction in 2026 and complete by 2032. The site will employ machine learning, AI, and digital automation to support reliable API production, including orforglipron. The project targets 3,450 jobs and proximity to research infrastructure, while aiming to strengthen domestic supply resilience.
Low-carbon lithium
Vulcan Energy started construction of a combined geothermal and lithium extraction plant in Landau under the Lionheart Project. The facility is designed to produce up to 24,000 t/y lithium hydroxide monohydrate and supply the region with 275 GWh of electricity and 560 GWh of heat annually. Commissioning is expected roughly 2.5 years after construction begins, supporting battery raw material availability alongside district heating.
AI in operations
Moeve and Mistral AI launched a generative-AI pilot to assist industrial centers with document understanding and task workflows, emphasizing model efficiency for energy use. In upstream, TCO highlighted the use of Reservoir Modelling and Simulation technologies and a Dynamic Data Integration workflow to forecast production and characterize complex reservoirs, as presented at SPE Baku.
HPC-enabled research
Eni selected 10 projects through Call4Innovators to receive direct access to Eni’s HPC6 supercomputer resources, spanning computational materials science, meteorology and earth sciences, energy portfolio management, engineering systems, and smart mobility. Submissions came from 20 countries and were evaluated with AMD, HPE, and CINECA for proposal quality, novelty, infrastructure fit, SDG alignment, and strategy coherence.
Grid-aware decarbonization
At Rotterdam, Shell and Linde implemented an energy hub at the Pernis site to share electricity locally amid grid constraints. Linde uses the power to compress CO₂ for transport to the Porthos storage project. The model promotes flexible consumption and local capacity exchange while network operators Stedin and TenneT, with the Port Authority and industry groups, work on grid expansion and congestion management.
Digital clinical ecosystems
Eli Lilly and Indiana University will develop an AI-enabled clinical trial infrastructure through a five-year agreement, focused on trial design, recruitment, and operations across Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cancer, and cell/gene therapy. In governance, Boehringer Ingelheim appointed Harsha Deshmukh to the Board of Managing Directors to lead a new Board Division for IT and Global Business Services, focusing on digital transformation.