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Published on 06.02.2026
TLDR: Maersk shut down its ambitious 'TradeLens' blockchain project in 2023 after failing to gain competitor trust. They successfully pivoted by pointing AI 'inward' at their own ships, achieving massive fuel savings through edge computing.
Summary: Maersk's journey is a cautionary tale and a blueprint for digital transformation. TradeLens was meant to be the 'OS for global shipping,' but it failed because competitors refused to put sensitive data on a platform co-owned by a rival. Instead of doubling down on the 'ecosystem play,' Maersk pivoted to 'Star Connect,' an edge-computing platform that runs directly on their vessels. This platform processes billions of IoT data points locally to optimize fuel consumption.
The results are staggering. By running machine learning models locally (to avoid expensive and slow satellite bandwidth), Maersk has achieved a 15% reduction in fuel consumption across its fleet. In an industry where fuel costs are billions of dollars annually, this single AI use case is saving the company between $375M and $500M every year. This 'internal-first' AI strategy has proven far more valuable than the initial 'platform-first' blockchain vision.
However, the company faces a 'machine vs. people' gap. While their asset-level AI is world-class, their customer-facing AI and invoicing flows are still struggling. The recent announcement of 1,000 corporate layoffs linked to AI automation suggests a tension: they are cutting humans before the administrative AI is truly ready to replace them.
Key takeaways:
Link: Maersk burned $100M on a platform nobody wanted, then found the AI that prints money
Disclaimer: This summary was generated by an AI assistant based on the AI Adopters newsletter.