Fero Labs is proud to announce a new partnership with Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) Center for Iron and Steelmaking Research (CISR) that will bring our explainable, Profitable Sustainability platform directly into the hands of CMU’s engineering and materials science researchers.
Beginning this year, students in CISR’s metallurgy, steelmaking, and industrial innovation programs will be able to use Fero’s software as part of their coursework, gaining hands-on experience with the same tools currently deployed inside modern steel mills.
CMU: A Legacy of Steelmaking Excellence
Carnegie Mellon’s history is deeply connected to the steel industry. Based in Pittsburgh, the historic center of American steelmaking, CMU has spent decades advancing the science and engineering that underpin iron and steel production.
Its Center for Iron and Steelmaking Research (CISR), founded in 1985, remains one of the world’s leading academic hubs for ironmaking, steelmaking fundamentals, casting, heat transfer, and decarbonization research.
Today, CMU is at the forefront of efforts to develop low-emissions steelmaking pathways — from hydrogen-based ore reduction to improved energy-efficient process design. This unique blend of scientific rigor and real-world industrial impact makes CMU an ideal partner for bridging the gap between advanced research and practical, mill-floor decision making.
Aligning Practical, Engineer-Centered AI With CMU’s Decarbonization Expertise
This collaboration is rooted in a shared philosophy: progress in steelmaking comes from supporting the judgment of process engineers and metallurgists, giving them tools that make complex operations clearer and decisions faster — never from replacing their expertise.
Fero software does exactly that. It delivers explainable, real-time predictions and recommendations that help process engineers quickly understand why a process is shifting and what actions will correct it. Instead of spending hours tracing interactions across thousands of variables, teams get immediate, transparent guidance they can trust. This speed and clarity make decisions more consistent across every shift and give engineers the confidence to act decisively, even under highly variable conditions.
For metallurgists and process engineers, this means being able to:
- Quantify the impact of raw material variation or operational drift
- Diagnose process instability using transparent, statistically validated insights
- Run safe, data-based “what-if” scenarios before making changes
- Reduce trial-and-error in recipe and process adjustments
- Capture and share institutional knowledge across teams
These capabilities help plants reduce emissions, minimize waste, optimize raw materials, and improve energy efficiency — all while enhancing profitability. This strengthened performance helps secure the long-term future of steelmaking as a career for the engineers and metallurgists who will lead the industry forward.
This philosophy aligns closely with CMU’s work in green and low-carbon steelmaking — where engineering truth, scientific transparency, and practical applicability are core principles. By giving students access to Fero Labs’ Profitable Sustainability platform, CMU is enhancing their ability to translate sustainability theory into operational reality.
Preparing Students for the Future of Steel
Through this partnership, CMU graduate students will work directly with real industrial datasets donated from CISR’s steel making industrial partners and the same machine learning tools used by steelmakers globally.
“Digital tools are an essential part of linking our fundamental knowledge with modern steelmaking practice.” said Professor Chris Pistorius, Carnegie Mellon University. “We give our students both in-person experience of steelmaking conditions, and tools to quantify those conditions and identify possible process improvements. Fero's explainable AI is a powerful yet accessible way to give our graduate students access to modern process-control tools, and a taste of where industry is headed."
Students will be able to:
- Build predictive models for casting, refining, and metallurgical processes
- Explore pathways to reduce variability, scrap, and CO₂ intensity
- Understand how explainable AI supports safe, reliable decision-making
- Bridge the gap between metallurgical science and data-driven operations
This exposure equips future industry leaders with the analytical, operational, and sustainability skills required in the next era of steelmaking.
A Collaborative Path Forward
“Process engineers drive the future of steelmaking, and they need tools that match the complexity of the decisions they make every day,” said Berk Birand, CEO of Fero Labs. “By working with Fero’s explainable, real-time AI, CMU students can reach a level of proficiency that empowers them to become true innovators in their plants — identifying new opportunities to improve efficiency and sustainability together. We’re honored that Fero is now part of the CMU curriculum, helping to shape the future of steelmaking.”
Together, we aim to connect rigorous steelmaking research with practical, mill-floor technologies — and to empower the engineers and metallurgists who will shape a more efficient, competitive, and low-carbon steel industry.
