By Tina Edvardsen, Kongsberg Klyngen AS, December 17, 2021
Viken County Council has decided to support the project "AI Lab - Viken" with a total of NOK 3 million for further development of new expertise and transition to Industry 4.0. The project, which is a cluster-to-cluster collaboration between NCE Smart Energy Markets, Cluster for Applied AI, Digital Norway and Kongsberg Klyngen AS, will together strengthen the green transition of industry over the next three years.
The project is led by Kongsberg Klyngen AS, an industry-driven competence cluster consisting of a number of partners from several industries. In collaboration with the national industrial clusters NCE Smart Energy Markets, Cluster for Applied AI and Digital Norway, they will work together to develop new AI technology related to Industry 4.0.
- "We are very proud of this award from Viken County Council," says Lars Lyshaug, Project Manager at Kongsberg Klyngen.
- Together with industry partners, academia and the three clusters, we can now strengthen AI competence and communicate the opportunities that exist through the use of this technology," he says.
Competitive advantage
The industry in Kongsberg wants to collaborate with the best environments in Norway, and turns to the technology clusters NCE Smart Energy Markets, Cluster for Applied AI and their cluster companies to strengthen their expertise in AI. The cluster companies, in turn, wanted to establish contact with the industry in Kongsberg Klyngen AS.
- One of Norway's advantages is our ability to work together in clusters and projects. By working together as one, we will be able to develop and make technology available faster and more efficiently. There is a large and undiscovered potential here that can help to strengthen our competitiveness both nationally and internationally," Lyshaug explains.
Faster transformation of industry
Through Industripilot Kongsberg, stakeholders from industry and business to the municipality, university and vocational school have worked together to ensure the transition to Industry 4.0, among other things.
- This transition is now further strengthened by the establishment of the "AI Lab - Viken" project, where several good cluster teams that represent important players individually, now stand stronger - together," points out the project manager of the Kongsberg Cluster.
Special advisor at Viken County Council, Trine Magnus, says that the link between Industripilot Kongsberg and the "AI Lab - Viken" project is strong.
- "By connecting competent clusters to build competence around digitalization - especially in AI - we can ensure that key people do not disappear and build competence that is adapted to the new jobs of the future at a faster pace," she says.
The main goal of the project is to build and lift competence into an AI test lab. This will be done through systematic work on developing new expertise at the intersection of digital technology and industry. In this way, the project will be able to define what needs exist and how smart AI technology can be used for the transformation of industry.
What exactly is artificial intelligence?
Artificial intelligence is about developing computer systems that can learn from experience. Just as humans get better at performing actions and solving problems through trial, error and repetition - practice makes perfect for computer systems.
Marianne Bjerkman, Cluster Leader of the Cluster for Applied AI, explains that it is about two main elements - adaptivity and autonomy. Adaptivity is the ability to learn from experience to improve. Autonomy is the ability of systems to solve tasks in complex environments without the help of humans.
From technology to practice
FactoryMind is the name of a company that provides a complete AI platform for the process and manufacturing industry based on Industry 4.0 in the Nordic region. They have been working with innovation processes for a long time and have aimed to make the processes as smart as possible.
- Based on the fact that each plant is unique, they have been able to utilize IoT (Internet of Things, all things that can be connected to the internet), AI and data in general to simplify work processes - which has created great added value, says Inge Grini, CEO of FactoryMind.
- "We are very keen to get closer to the 'AI Lab' project. Together we can help the industry to accelerate its AI efforts," he explains.
FactoryMind is already a member of Kongsberg Innovation's cluster activities, and the parent company Intellectual Labs is a member of the Cluster for Applied AI - an affiliation that opens up more opportunities to dare to think bigger.
- This project can now get stronger support for its efforts both at home and in Asia, where we are established and want to build big," says Grini.
- "We are now working with a foreign investor and Innovation Norway to further develop in India - an exciting target in the world's largest market. Here, the cluster cooperation and the unique networks can really help to accelerate the company," he concludes.
FACTS ABOUT THE PARTNERS:
- Cluster for Applied AI & NCE Smart Energy Markets
The Cluster for Applied AI has a number of partners that develop and deliver AI-based products and services for value creation in an industrial context. They address different types of data and analytical tools, enabling challenges such as product and raw material quality, value chain optimization, maintenance, decision support, logistics and sustainability to be solved more precisely and efficiently.
NCE Smart Energy Markets is a cluster focusing on technology for optimizing energy systems, a key component of Industry 4.0. Industry is the sector with the highest end use of energy, and how energy consumption is balanced, both in terms of reduced consumption and transition to renewable energy, is crucial for tomorrow's operations and profits.
- The Kongsberg Cluster
Together with industrial partners, the Kongsberg Cluster works with new technologies, builds expertise and shares experiences across the board. In this way, it becomes easier for the actors involved in the community to use the innovations. The Kongsberg Cluster is an industry-driven national competence cluster consisting of a number of partners from several industries. The cluster is facilitated by Kongsberg Innovation.
Our aim is to be a valuable cluster that contributes to strengthening the global competitiveness of the industry.
- Digital Norway
DigitalNorway is a non-profit founded in 2017 by 15 committed business actors to accelerate the digitalization of Norwegian business, with a special focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The goal is for all businesses in Norway to be able to take part in the data-driven economy and data-driven innovation in their value chains. DigitalNorway is working actively to promote collaborative projects in data sharing and lifelong learning. The Data Factory and the Lifelong Learning Forum are examples of this. DigitalNorway also works with partners to ensure that companies and employees have access to the knowledge they need in a digital world by offering courses, learning journeys, guides, webinars and other learning content.