By Lynda Myer
As a software and engineering start-up that predicts real ground movement during construction, Acciona has become lead investor of SAALG Geomechanics.
While the technology company has collected €3.65m through an operation partially funded by the European Commission’s EIC Accelerator program, in a mixed model of capital investment and subsidies, with Acciona as lead investor and Creand Crèdit Andorrà as financial supporter, SAALG Geomechanics intends to raise a total of €5m.
Considering its I’mnovation innovation program, Acciona made the investment under this initiative and through it the company gives start-ups the opportunity to collaborate on real projects by applying their innovative solutions for the progress of society and environmental protection.
Acciona decided to invest in the company, following a successful pilot project in direct collaboration with SAALG’s business teams.
According to Acciona: “More than 30% of tunnel construction projects worldwide experience geotechnical problems that lead to cost overruns or delays. The new functionalities of the Daarwin software, based on machine learning algorithms, make it possible to predict a TBM’s forward speed, detect geotechnical anomalies in advance, assist TBM pilots in optimizing tunneling phases, and gather information for use in future projects. The new functionalities of this solution, which represents a significant increase in safety, efficiency and sustainability, are the first step towards the autonomous TBM.”
Being involved in over than 50 civil engineering, large building and mining projects worldwide, including tunnels, large excavations as well as roads in more than 15 countries, the SAALG Geomechanics has been established in 2016. Since 2020, its Daarwin software has been used on HS2.
