ABB has announced a technology partnership with Ferrari Hypersail to bring its electrification expertise to the world’s most ambitious offshore challenge. As the Electrification Partner, ABB will support the challenge with its know-how in marine power systems, direct current (DC) technology, and advanced electrical systems.
Ferrari Hypersail is an innovative 100-foot foiling ocean monohull powered by renewable energy. The vessel is designed to push the boundaries of nautical performance, combining speed, resilience, and safety with onboard energy generation and management in one of the most technically challenging environments.
ABB brings to the table 25 years of experience in direct current technology, along with a portfolio of over 700 patents in the sector. As an Electrification Partner, ABB will support Ferrari Hypersail by leveraging its expertise in energy management, marine electrical systems, and energy storage.
Smart energy management
Ferrari Hypersail provides ABB with a high-performance development environment to demonstrate how advanced electrification, direct current architectures, and intelligent energy management can enhance resilience and efficiency under extreme offshore conditions. These requirements – balancing renewable energy generation, storage, and distribution in real time – are fundamental to the development of next-generation industrial microgrids.
“For ABB, Ferrari Hypersail represents a unique opportunity to demonstrate how we are collaborating with our partners to push the boundaries of direct current technology,” said Giampiero Frisio, President of ABB’s Electrification business area. “Ferrari Hypersail is designed to operate under extreme conditions, comparable to the most demanding challenges our systems face in the industrial sector. ABB’s role demonstrates how electrification and automation technologies can help industries push their limits and achieve record-breaking performance. The experience gained through a challenge of this magnitude can contribute to the development of the more resilient and efficient energy systems our customers need across various sectors – from marine and renewable energy to data centers and industrial microgrids.”
For Enrico Voltolini, Project Leader of Ferrari Hypersail, the partnership provides the technical foundation needed to realize the project. “Hypersail runs entirely on energy from renewable sources,” stated Voltolini. “It must be self-sufficient for weeks on end in the planet’s most hostile ocean environments. Having access to ABB’s expertise in electrification represents a valuable operational advantage.”
Energy self-sufficiency
The Ferrari Hypersail direct-current architecture will function as a high-performance, self-sufficient microgrid, with systems operating at 48 V and 800 VDC. It will generate, store, and manage the energy required for navigation under critical conditions, foil control, safety systems, and propulsion, ensuring reliable operation even in environments characterized by extreme cold, salt, pressure, and constant motion.
The ABB team will support Ferrari Hypersail with expertise in direct current (DC) system integration, intelligent power distribution, and marine resilience. Insights gained from the project will help guide the development of advanced energy systems for sectors such as maritime transport, data centers, and renewable energy infrastructure.
