ArcelorMittal and IIT Madras Collaborate for Asia's first Hyperloop facility

Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal, one of the largest steel producers globally, has joined forces with the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, to establish Asia's inaugural Hyperloop facility. ArcelorMittal and its joint venture, ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India, will contribute materials and engineering expertise for the construction of the Hyperloop testing facility at the IIT Madras campus. The facility is anticipated to be operational by the end of March, as per the company's statement.

ArcelorMittal is set to collaborate closely with Avishkar Hyperloop, a student team, and TuTr Hyperloop, a start-up incubated at IIT Madras. These entities are actively engaged in the development of affordable Hyperloop technology for both passenger and cargo transportation on a large scale. “ArcelorMittal and AM/NS (ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel) India are providing foundational steel materials, as well as engineering, design and project management expertise to support the creation of India’s and Asia’s first Hyperloop test track at IIT Madras’ 163-acre Discovery Campus at Thaiyur, on the outskirts of Chennai", the statement said.

Hyperloop is a ground-based transportation technology concept, both for passengers and cargo, wherein pods inside vacuum tubes will be accelerated through a propulsion system at ultra-high speeds. “This is a hugely exciting project to be part of. IIT Madras is at the vanguard of deep-tech development in India, and TuTr Hyperloop’s technology and tenacity inspire great confidence about their potential to be pioneers in Hyperloop, a mobility transition industry in which steel would have an important role to play", said Pinakin Chaubal, Chief Technology Officer, ArcelorMittal.

ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India will supply about 400 tonnes of steel for the fabrication of a 400-metre vacuum tube at the site, in which autonomous, levitating pods will be tested at speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour. Experienced engineers from ArcelorMittal’s design and engineering arm will provide assistance to the Hyperloop team, oversee project progress and provide design and engineering expertise during the installation process.

“We are extremely delighted with ArcelorMittal’s partnership for this deep-tech initiative which will significantly accelerate our efforts to commercialize Hyperloop technology. This dream collaboration between Government, Academia, and Industry has the potential to create an efficient, sustainable, and affordable mass mobility technology for the future from India to the World", said Aravind S. Bharadwaj, Mentor of the Hyperloop Technology Development Team at IIT Madras and Co-Founder, TuTr Hyperloop.

In December 2022, TuTr Hyperloop entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with Tata Steel to collaboratively advance the development and widespread deployment of Hyperloop technology. This objective aligns with ArcelorMittal's partnership goals, aiming to validate the technological and commercial potential of Hyperloop technology. The government is actively promoting the creation of indigenous Hyperloop technology through collaborative efforts between academia and industry. The Ministry of Railways has initiated support for this initiative by providing an initial funding of 8.34 crore to IIT Madras.

In November, Dr. V.K. Saraswat, a Member of NITI Aayog, expressed the view that the prospects of developing Hyperloop transportation in India in the near term are limited. He highlighted that this technology, initially conceived in developed Western nations, is not yet mature and lacks current commercial viability. Nevertheless, there is an ongoing effort to establish a comprehensive policy framework that will establish standards and technological parameters for Hyperloop in India. NITI Aayog is actively working on a report that assesses the technological and commercial feasibility of implementing Hyperloop technology in the country.