ABB-Led EXPLAIN Project Wins ITEA 2025 Innovation Award for Human-Centered AI in Process Industries

ABB’s Corporate Research Centers in Germany and Sweden received the esteemed ITEA Award of Excellence 2025 for their leadership in the EU-funded EXPLAIN project, celebrated during a ceremony in Portugal. The collaborative initiative, involving 15 partners across Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands, focused on developing transparent, reliable, and user-friendly AI systems for process industries. Notably, ABB and partners advanced explainable AI (XAI) solutions that empower operators to trust and interact with AI in daily operations, with demonstrated improvements—such as enhanced pulp quality stability—in projects like their collaboration with Södra in the pulp and paper sector. The research yielded new XAI methods, industry-tested prototypes, and a public guidebook, and will soon scale to additional industrial environments. ABB credits the award to strong partnerships, innovative technology, and a user-centric approach, driving meaningful benefits for industrial customers.

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