Factories have used fossil fuels to process iron ore for three centuries, and the climate has paid a heavy price: According to the International Energy Agency, the steel industry today accounts for 8% of carbon dioxide emissions.
But it turns out there is a less carbon-intensive alternative: using hydrogen. Unlike coal or natural gas, which release carbon dioxide as a by-product, this process releases water. And if the hydrogen itself is “green,” the climate impact of the entire process will be minimal.
HyIron, which has a site in the Namib desert, is one of a handful of companies around the world that are betting green hydrogen can help the $1.8 trillion steel industry clean up its act. The question now is whether Namibia’s government, its trading partners, and hydrogen innovators can work together to build the industry in a way that satisfies the world’s appetite for cleaner fuels—and also helps improve lives at home. Read the full story.
—Jonathan W. Rosen
This story is from the next print edition of MIT Technology Review, which explores power—who has it, and who wants it. It’s set to go live tomorrow, so subscribe & save 25% to read it and get a copy of the issue when it lands!
Can we fix AI’s evaluation crisis?
Every time a company launches a new AI model, its scores show it beating the capabilities of predecessors. On paper, everything appears to be getting better all the time.
In practice, it’s not so simple. In fact, many now openly admit that the process of testing AI, using sets of exam-style questions called benchmarks, is broken.
