Standing at 828 meters high with the capacity for 35,000 people at any given time, the Burj Khalifa demands smart, reliable solutions. From distributing electricity across 163 floors and 57 elevators to helping power and drive the Dubai Fountain, ABB’s technology keeps systems functioning day and night. The company even provides critical lightning protection to safeguard the tower and the people around it.
ABB’s technologies have played a vital role in powering and protecting the Burj Khalifa since 2010 enabling reliable and efficient operations.
The Burj Khalifa – the tallest building in the world is an ambitious architectural statement. Its iconic profile defines Dubai’s skyline and draws millions of visitors from around the world each year. Within and around the building, this structure is defined by an integrated network of operational systems.
ABB’s reliable technologies help power the tallest building in the world
ABB has supported the Burj Khalifa with its electrification and automation technologies since it was built in 2010. Through many years of operation, the focus has continuously been on running systems that integrate and operate efficiently to deliver reliability around the clock.
The consistent reliability of the building’s complex variety of operational technologies depends on a highly coordinated set of behind-the-scenes systems, working efficiently and with precision. Whether it’s supporting air conditioning throughout the building, distributing power reliably, ensuring uninterrupted safety systems, or enabling the performing elements of the signature fountains, ABB ensures every system functions with absolute precision.
Providing power and protection at all heights
When it comes to building comfort and safety for the occupants and visitors, ABB enables HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) operations across floors through a variety of motor and drive solutions. These solutions are integrated seamlessly with minimum disruption to building systems and help ensure HVAC energy saving expectations are not just met but exceeded.
Reliably delivering power to key functions throughout the world’s tallest building is the role of a network of substations including one on the 155th floor. Integrated within this network are ABB low and medium-voltage solutions supporting electrical loads across the entire building, from the 57 elevators to a 24 MW air conditioning system. These low- and medium-voltage solutions are connected to the building’s electrical control and distribution systems, contributing to the control and visibility needed to manage the uninterrupted delivery of power.
Like all skyscrapers, the Burj Khalifa must contend with natural phenomena such as lightning strikes. The ABB Furse® earthing and lightning protection equipment and design services help ensure safe grounding and robust surge protection for the building, its systems, and the people within and around it.
Apart from the external and internal protection system, the building’s unique horizontal Y-shaped design and its steel exoskeleton act as a large Faraday cage, safely conducting the electrical charge from a lightning strike to the ground.
Precision performances on show
One of Burj Khalifa’s signature features is the Dubai Fountain. Performing highly choreographed water shows at regular intervals, the fountain embodies precision control. This precision is possible with ABB’s motors and drives and MNS low-voltage switchgear. These motors and drives govern pump speeds, to set water pressure with accuracy, so jets can rise, fall, or pulse in time with the music and lighting of every performance. A variable speed drive control aligns motor speed perfectly with demand, reducing energy use, enhancing control and helping to lower operating costs.
All these innovations were elevated during a spectacular event on November 27, 2025, where ABB lit up Dubai’s skyline with an exciting lightshow animation on the façade of the Burj Khalifa.