Page 9 - Industrial Technology magazine February 2021 issue

New agreement to advance research

at intersection of AI and manufacturing

he Alan Turing Institute and the University of research which tackles some of the biggest challenges in
Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research science, society and the economy. Mutual research areas
Centre (AMRC) have signed an agreement to of interest in the agreement between the Turing and the
Twork together to identify opportunities for AMRC include:
artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in manufacturing, l Uncertainty quantification
accelerate research collaboration and boost skills l Human-centric design
development. l Privacy-preserving technologies, including utility and
The two organisations have signed a Memorandum of application of synthetic data.
Understanding (MoU) that will draw on their considerable At the Turing, the collaboration will be led by the
research and development skills across manufacturing, Institute’s dynamic Data-Centric Engineering research
data science, machine learning and AI. Researchers from programme, a major £60m research initiative funded by FAULHABER Precision Gearheads
the Turing and the AMRC hope to identify, and find the Lloyd’s Register Foundation. The agreement
solutions to, some of the grand challenges facing the demonstrates an important step for the programme as it Expand your
manufacturing sector such as meeting increasing demand seeks to consolidate a research strategy in the domain of
and the response to Covid-19. manufacturing. Looking forward, it is hoped the new
The AMRC is a network of world-leading research and collaboration is the first of many in this research area. possibilities
innovation centres working with manufacturing “Establishing ties with the AMRC is essential to
companies of all sizes from around the globe. The AMRC furthering our strategy in the area of manufacturing,” said
is part of the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult, Mark Girolami, the Turing’s Programme Director for Data The new family of planetary
a thriving alliance of seven technology and innovation Centric Engineering. Having access to a national network
centres that work with industry to help bridge the gap of manufacturing research expertise, combined with the gearheads FAULHABER GPT.
between technology concept and commercialisation. unique skill set of Turing researchers, creates an exciting Move up a gear where others
The Alan Turing Institute is the national institute for opportunity for innovative, solution-led research downshift.
data science and artificial intelligence, with headquarters outcomes that address key challenges such as
at the British Library in London. The Turing undertakes maximising automation, integrating intelligent software, faulhaber.com/GPT/en
increasing capacity, and reshoring, facing the
manufacturing sector.”
Professor Rab Scott, Head of Digital at the AMRC,
automation experts to DevOps developers who will said: “Bringing these world-class organisations together NEW
have a critical part to play in the ‘cloudifying’ of will provide a tremendously valuable resource for the
manufacturing. The problem is that there’s huge UK’s manufacturing sector. Working together, the AMRC
demand for highly skilled developers across all and The Alan Turing Institute will be able to demonstrate
business sectors and from our experience the very best how realising greater insights and values from
developers don’t go looking for work, they are manufacturing data can lead to improvements in
headhunted and can name their price. productivity, resource utilisation, sustainability and really
“When it comes to choosing their next job, impact the bottom line.” NEU
developers rate a competitive salary high up on their Professor Sam Turner, Chief Technology Officer for the
wish list, but manufacturing is lagging well behind HVM Catapult, said the agreement presents a great
most of the main industries when it comes to what opportunity for the AMRC and HVM Catapult to build a
they pay their tech teams. strong working relationship with The Alan Turing
“Our survey results suggest salary level is an area Institute. He added: “AI and machine learning are likely
manufacturers are going to have to look at moving to be at the heart of many manufacturing systems and it
forward if they hope to attract the very best tech is important that the UK harnesses its research and
talent, during such a transformative period for the innovation capability to take a leading role in
industry.” developing solutions.”

Jan/Feb 2021 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY WE CREATE MOTION