DP World’s early adoption of Hyperloop a bold decision

Investing in bleeding edge technology can be risky, but the reward for getting it right can be priceless for the company willing to make the leap. DP World is making such a leap with its decision to partner with Virgin Hyperloop One. By establishing DP World Cargospeed, both companies are a taking a chance on technology that can change the world of shipping.

Hyperloop technology is untested, and no one company has yet put it into commercial operation. Most companies envision the technology as a way to move people from place to place at superfast speeds. Such an endeavour will take years to construct and perhaps take even longer to become widely adopted, especially in a world already dominated by trains, planes and automobiles.

But the decision to apply the technology to shipping cargo is innovation itself. It can easily be adapted to cover the usually short distance between ports, airports and other shipping hubs, and facilitate the global movement of cargo at speeds considered impossible and financially prohibited with current technology.

This partnership will position DP World Cargospeed as the leader of Hyperloop shipping technology, which will do for shipping what the microchip did for IBM and Microsoft. It will accelerate global trade, reduce the carbon footprint of the shipping industry, and even alleviate some of the security concerns usually associated with sea and air ports.

DP World is a globally respected name in port operations, so it is already in a natural position to roll out this game-changing technology. But the decision to adapt this type of far-reaching technology at this stage in the game takes courage. Both companies should be proud of themselves for doing so.