Siemens’ Vision from CES 2026: How Will Water Supply Infrastructure Change?
- (더웨이브톡) 마케팅
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
At CES 2026, Siemens CEO Dr. Roland Busch delivered a keynote outlining how AI and digital twins can be integrated across industrial infrastructure. Beyond factory automation and energy management, water supply infrastructure was clearly positioned as part of this transformation. Water networks are no longer an exception—they are becoming a core target of digital transformation.
In this newsletter, we take a closer look at Siemens’ vision for the future of infrastructure with a focus on water supply, and explore how these ideas are already being implemented around the world.
AI and Digital Twins Become the Common Language of Infrastructure
At CES 2026, Siemens declared that AI and digital twins are the central technologies of future infrastructure. This is a holistic approach that spans buildings, energy, transportation—and water management. The core objective is to enable better operations with fewer resources.
Key technologies applied to water supply infrastructure include:
AI-based predictive operations: Automating operational decision-making such as demand forecasting, leak detection, and emergency response
Real-time water quality monitoring: Continuous tracking of key indicators such as turbidity, pH, and residual chlorine
Digital twin simulations: Pre-simulating pipe network conditions, flow changes, and contamination risks
Remote automated control: Immediate remote response when anomalies are detected
When these technologies are integrated, water infrastructure evolves from a simple monitoring system into a decision-driven, intelligent water management system.
Why Water Infrastructure Needs a Data-Centric Approach
Historically, water management systems have lagged behind other sectors in digitalization. While water quality control at treatment plants has been well established, real-time monitoring within residential and consumption areas has remained limited.
As Siemens emphasized, for AI to be truly integrated across urban infrastructure, real-time water quality data extending into living environments is essential.
Key enabling factors include:
Precision and durability of sensor technologies
Installation flexibility enabled by low-power or power-free operation
System architectures that support self-diagnostics and remote response
In other words, water quality data must go beyond simply “existing”—it must be delivered in a form that operators can actively use for decision-making for digital transformation to be complete.
Treatment2Tap: A Real-World Example of Real-Time Water Quality Monitoring
This vision is already becoming reality. In the UK, the Treatment2Tap project brings together Siemens and other global technology leaders to demonstrate a system that monitors water quality in real time from treatment plants all the way to the tap.
Rather than merely collecting data, the project leverages AI to predict water quality anomalies and connect them to automated response systems, making it a leading model for next-generation urban water infrastructure.
TheWaveTalk is participating in this project by providing sensor solutions designed for high-precision water quality monitoring within residential environments.
Water Infrastructure Must Now Be Designed Around Operations
The center of gravity in water management is shifting—from treatment plants to living environments. This is no longer an era where a single sensor is enough. What matters now is designing end-to-end systems that connect data to decision-making and real-world response.
The future of water supply infrastructure presented by Siemens at CES 2026 is not a distant vision—it reflects a technological shift already in motion. For professionals working in the water sector, now is the time to rethink how water infrastructure can be redesigned through the lens of AI and digital transformation.
