Siemens, Nasekomo collaborate on digitalization of insect production

Siemens and Nasekomo announced a strategic partnership during COP 28 to collaborate on the digitalization of insect biotransformation. The collaboration aims to expedite the expansion of the insect industry by leveraging digitalization to enhance capacity.

Siemens, Nasekomo collaborate on digitalization of insect productionNasekomo, a biotech scale-up, and Siemens Bulgaria, a part of the global digital leader Siemens AG, have forged an agreement to collaborate on the digitalization of insect biotransformation—an emerging industry with significant potential for sustainable development.

The partnership between Siemens and Nasekomo, unveiled during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28), will serve as the foundation for establishing an intelligent insect industry 4.0. with built-in industrial cyber security to fulfil the growing demand for protein in both quality and quantity. The collaboration aims to expedite the expansion of the insect industry by leveraging digitalization to enhance capacity.

The official signing took place in the presence of the Bulgarian Minister of Innovation and Growth, Milena Stoicheva, and the Minister of Environment and Water in Bulgaria, Julian Popov. The strategic cooperation document was signed by Virak Chhuor, Vice President of Engineering and Production at Nasekomo, and Dr. Eng. Boryana Manolova, CEO of Siemens for Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Ukraine.

THE INITIAL PHASE IS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A STATE-OF-THE-ART BREEDING CENTRE
The partnership will bolster Nasekomo’s development concept, which envisions a data-driven franchising business model. This involves initially creating a connected network of factories within European countries and eventually expanding globally. The initial phase of the collaboration will focus on establishing a state-of-the-art breeding centre to provide a sustainable supply of young insects for the network of bioconversion factories.

“We are at the beginning of the journey, but it is time to lay the groundwork for the execution of our expansion vision. The way to do it is the franchising model, based on data and digital systems to enable it,” explained Virak Chhuor.

This concept not only envisions the automation of processes but also the digitalization of all biological and technological operations within the breeding centre, achieved through machine learning and the implementation of cutting-edge technologies like digital twins for production and live insect larvae. With Siemens’ support, Nasekomo aims to integrate systems and data from up to 200 planned production sites worldwide in the future. This will ensure intelligently managed operations, reliable AI analytics, and sustainable management.

GREATER EFFICIENCY IN INSECT MANAGEMENT
Marc Bolard, co-founder and co-CEO of biotech scale-up: “Biology is full of surprises, and by studying our insects in-depth and tracking biological processes through machine learning, we can achieve much greater efficiency in managing them. Our strategy, based on four pillars -biology, technology, digitalization, and partnership- aims at strong cooperation with strong partners during the entire production process. We knew from the beginning that we could rely on SIEMENS for this purpose.”

“The collaboration with Nasekomo is a confirmation of Siemens’ focus on developing and offering Technology with Purpose, which aims to transform the daily lives of millions of people and make the world a better place to live. Partnering with innovative scale-up companies like Nasekomo allows us to combine the best of both worlds – the large-scale portfolio and global know-how of our over 175-year-old technology company and the unique scale-up business potential represented by Nasekomo,” stated Dr. Eng. Manolova.

The insect industry holds the potential to revolutionise the human food chain by deriving feed ingredients from low-value organic products through the biotransformation capabilities of insects. Market expectations predict that the demand for insect protein will surpass its production by sixfold even before 2030. In contrast to current unsustainable protein extraction and production practices that deplete the planet’s resources, insect protein production adopts a sustainable circular model and utilises fewer resources. Furthermore, each tonne of insect protein has the potential to save 10 tonnes of CO2 emissions through bioconversion. On a global scale, this translates to a potential saving of 150

million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions annually with a production volume of 15 million metric tonnes. The insect industry emerges as a key solution for decarbonisation in the agricultural sector, the food industry, and various other industries.

CONVERTING 100,000 TONNES OF UNDERUTILISED ORGANIC RESOURCES
Maria Alexandrova, Head of Innovative Projects and Sustainability, Nasekomo, stated: “Each facility within the network is planned to convert 100,000 tonnes of underutilised organic resources into 10,000 tonnes of valuable insect products, representing a tenfold increase in the value of the transformed biomass. The far-reaching impact of our entrepreneurial concept extends beyond economic metrics, as it is projected to counterbalance 100,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, emphasising the significant environmental contribution of our transformative approach.”