Tuscany Region, GE Oil & Gas and Sant'Anna School for Advanced Studies establish a centre of excellence for innovative digital technologies

FLORENCE – A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Tuscany Region, GE Oil & Gas and Sant'Anna School to establish in Tuscany a centre of global excellence for digital industrial transformation. The R&D centre aims at designing, developing and manufacturing digital prototypes using the GE’s Predix platform for industrial applications and Internet solutions.

GE’s Predix will connect people and machines with big data, processes and data analytics through the cloud, simplifying industrial processes and collecting huge quantities of data coming out from the machines in real time, and, it will send a feedback returning data in the form of change-notifications or parameters adjustment for optimizing industrial operations.

Applications developed on the Predix platform will pass through the machine learning modules designed by the TeCip Institute of Sant'Anna School, so Predix will become an open platform which companies and public institutions can use to increase effectiveness and productivity within their organizations 4.0.

 The challenge is to face the implications of digital change: institutions must keep up with the pace of change and offer “digital natives” broader fields of expertise developing their skills in digital business technologies to improve industries competitiveness. A new digital generation able to plan cross-channel approach for each activity, adding value and specific know-how to all areas.

The Industry 4.0 conquers other sectors and the centre of excellence becomes the catalyst for investments and the location for talent development programs. It is a strategic investment in education, in future generations and in the industry which will bring benefits to the economy of the region and can be regarded as a model for the whole country.