INDUSTRY Newsy
Digital Transformation 2.0 and greener future are on
the roadmap for Advantech cloud- and data-driven and architectural, in which the intelligent factory will fi t in. “There is no getting away from the fact that digital transformation will impact every manufacturer in the world in the years to come, and harnessing the power of data will be critical to competitiveness as we move from Industry 4.0 and towards Industry 5.0,” said Tsai.
Embedded solutions supplier for industrial applications, Advantech, held a virtual summit late last month, highlighting global trends in the industry and its own roadmap.
The company’s corporate vision is to enable an “intelligent planet”, and it sees digital transformation at the heart of it. “5G and artifi cial intelligence are enabling this digital transformation,” said Linda Tsai, Advantech IIoT President, in her keynote speech. “According to the GSMA Mobile Economy 2019 Report, 5G will contribute more than $2 trillion to the global economy to 2035, of which 35% will go to the manufacturing and utilities sectors. Meanwhile, research from MarketsandMarkets estimates the value of AI in the manufacturing at $17.2bn by 2025.”
Digital Transformation 1.0, said Tsai, consisted largely of IT and OT assimilation, whereas Digital Transformation 2.0 will be
Advantech sees six key technology
trends in 2021: digital transformation, 5G, decoupling, device-to-cloud digitalisation, empowered edge and artifi cial intelligence (AI). In addition to its commitment to these trends, Advantech hopes to become even more green and sustainable. “We only have one Earth,” said Tsai.
“We need to focus on climate change and sustainability. We want to be more green, as a company. Within a 5-year timeframe, we will include climate-related disclosures, such as our carbon footprint, for example. In fi ve years, we want clean energy to be
UK fi rms now looking to AI to bolster their business, says survey
A survey of 430 UK companies has revealed that over 50% of them will turn to artifi cial intelligence (AI), despite their limited understanding of it. COVID-19 was cited as the main factor for the changing attitudes toward this technology. Some 53% of respondents to the
Fountech.ai survey admitted to having a limited understanding of AI, with only 15% having the skills needed internally to take advantage of it.
Of the surveyed SMEs, 55%
consider AI to be too over-hyped to deliver much value, compared to just a quarter (26%) of large businesses. However, since the onset of the pandemic, more than half (55%) of companies have started exploring how AI could improve their product or service, with the fi gure highest amongst small (61%) and medium- sized (66%) enterprises. “T ere remains a signifi cant knowledge gap when it comes
6 October 2020 | Automation
to businesses’ understanding of artifi cial intelligence. Clearly, many still consider the technology to be over-hyped, expensive and complicated, but this is not the case – oſt en delivered on a SaaS model, AI tools can be used easily and aff ordably even by small organisations,” said Nikolas Kairinos,
Fountech.ai founder. Over 40% of the surveyed
companies said that, in the next 12 months, they will implement AI technologies. “Positively, the pandemic has
proven to almost every business why they must invest in technology. In the wake of the disruptions caused by COVID-19, our research shows that more companies are evaluating how digital solutions like AI can improve what they do and how they do it. T is is a welcome development, given the huge value AI can provide for businesses,” added Kairinos.
“We need to focus on climate change and sustainability” - Linda Tsai, IIoT President, Advantech
50% of our total energy consumption, and we want to do the same for our customers: environmental monitoring, intelligent devices that monitor energy consumption, and help develop and embrace energy- saving technologies that will move us into a greener future.”
Positive outlook for energy innovation, but more action needed
Over 75% of energy players are positive about the adoption of sustainable energy technologies by the industrial sector in the next 12-18 months. So says the world’s largest sustainable energy accelerator, EIT InnoEnergy, which surveyed 200 energy companies across Europe. Nearly 80% of respondents cited funding and investment as core to their innovation goals, emphasising the importance of the EU GreenDeal. “It is reassuring to know that industry is positive about the future adoption of sustainable energy technology,” said Diego Pavia, CEO at EIT InnoEnergy. “With the EU’s GreenDeal in place, we’ll fi nd out what the future holds and the path to get there.”
In addition, the research highlighted customer readiness for new technology (49%) and access to partnering organisations for R&D (37%) as areas requiring more action. The survey also saw energy storage (58%), energy effi ciency (46%) and renewable energies (45%) as the top skill requirements for prospective employers. However, 36% of them found it diffi cult to fi nd talent with the right skills.
automationmagazine.co.uk
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