Artificial intelligence

With the construction of a practice-oriented innovation center for the promotion, application and visualization of AI, artificial intelligence is to be made tangible as a low-threshold infrastructure. Medium-sized companies and start-ups in particular should be able to further develop the technology of the future. HIVE's goal is to become the "leading innovation center for artificial intelligence". The concept includes experimental AI projects by companies and start-ups, the development, training and testing of AI models and the transfer of AI knowledge through events and workshops. At the Böhringer-Areal (innovation and start-up center of the city of Göppingen), the players in the AI ecosystem will network. A modular working environment with modern technical infrastructure is to be created from upcycled shipping containers. HIVE Göppingen e.V. i.G. is receiving 1,052,500 euros in co-financing for the project.

With the establishment of a research and application center with a focus on AI, the city of Esslingen wants to create a factory of the future. Academic research, industrial practice and start-ups are to work together in the former administrative building of Stadtwerke Esslingen. The aim is to make AI a key technology that can be experienced and used commercially. The city of Esslingen intends to rent two floors to start-ups or spin-offs. Who moves in here as a tenant will also determine how well potential founders create synergies with research at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences. This is because the university will further expand its research focus on intelligent production and smart factories on four floors in the Zukunftsfabrik: The aim is to create an interdisciplinary research center for the development and optimization of intelligent systems: the Esslingen Research Center of Smart Systems (ERCoS). The "Machines and Systems" and "Computer Science and Information Technology" faculties, which are networked through AI, are involved in this. 905,051 euros in funding will be provided for the future factory through co-financing.

Knowledge on wheels: An electric vehicle is to be turned into a mobile AI laboratory (transfer and start-up company). Equipped with state-of-the-art AI technology, it will then travel to educational institutions, administrations or civil society initiatives in the Stuttgart region. This is the plan of TGU Kinderleicht, which is part of the Technology Transfer Initiative (TTI GmbH) of the University of Stuttgart. The aim of the project is to impart AI technology in a low-threshold and flexible training program. It is aimed at specialists and managers, trainees and students who can start AI training directly in the AI lab. It will be used as part of workshops in which trained trainers (freelancers and students) impart AI knowledge. The project has set itself a target of at least 15 training sessions per year. TGU Kinderleicht is receiving 130,000 euros in co-financing.

The use of AI means ever higher energy consumption and costs for data centers. Photonic computers are considered a promising alternative: the computing power is 50 times faster and consumes 30 times less energy. The Institute of Microelectronics Stuttgart (IMS CHIPS) and the High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart (HLRS) are investigating the possible applications of photonic computers for computationally intensive tasks in the field of microelectronics and for training AI models. The acquisition of a photonic computer system will enable comparative studies to be carried out and requirements for industrial applications to be determined. The project provides companies from the Stuttgart region with low-threshold access to powerful and future-oriented AI systems. Regional companies can participate as scientifically supported use cases - so questions from everyday industrial life can be directly incorporated into the project work. The Institute for Microelectronics Stuttgart (IMS CHIPS) will receive 1,512,000 euros in co-financing for the Photon AI project.

The Innovation Center Fellbach (ICF) is to become a hub for AI in the healthcare sector. As an innovation and start-up center, it is intended to promote the formation of networks in science and business with a focus on AI in medicine and the further development of medical technology and diagnostics. On 2,000 square meters of floor space, a tailor-made infrastructure and equipment will be created for companies, start-ups and scientific institute units to test, develop and produce pioneering software and hardware, controlled laboratory models and prototypes for medical applications. The city of Fellbach is being provided with 2.6 million euros in co-financing to equip the new ICF technology building.

"gainInsight" is intended to provide insights into two aspects: AI innovations for electromobility, hydrogen technology and renewable energies are to be developed. At the same time, the project is investigating how the ecological footprint of production and research in these areas can be reduced. A prototype for a hybrid, generic fuel cell system with an AI-supported digital twin is to be developed as a project component. The results will be made available to industry with the aim of transferring knowledge. Another project component is the installation of a tracking system in a coating system for solar cells. The aim here is to show how industrial research can be improved through the use of AI technologies for the prototype development of solar cells. In addition, AI-based technologies and forecasting models will be optimized to enable energy savings in hydrogen production and intelligent waste heat recovery. 133,137.50 euros in co-financing will be provided to the ZSW for gainInsight.

KI-D@ARENA-X addresses the challenge for companies to obtain a high-performance IT infrastructure and specialist support in the early phase of AI use cases. To this end, a network infrastructure is being installed on the premises of ARENA2036 e.V. that combines all the necessary access technologies - copper and fiber optic cables, WiFi as well as 5G and 6G - into a convergent access network and thus enables cross-company data exchange. The test environment is intended to enable the use of AI in all its various forms for established companies and start-ups from the Stuttgart region. Parallel to the development and implementation of tests in the data room infrastructure, a viable operating and financing concept will be developed and tested. A marketing campaign will target start-ups and SMEs. For KI-D@ARENA-X, 685,000 euros in co-financing will be made available to Arena 2036 e.V. and the University of Stuttgart.

For "AI transform", a climate-friendly building with around 2,700 square meters of usable space is being constructed on the grounds of the Böblingen/Sindelfingen Software Center, which will offer productive areas, office space and communication zones for young companies and national and international companies with a focus on AI. AI transform builds on the low-threshold approach of the existing AI innovation hub AI xpress and the services offered by the Böblingen/Sindelfingen software center: Successful start-ups from AI xpress are to be permanently established in AI transform. At the same time, national and international companies with a focus on AI are to be established in AI transform. In addition, consulting and event services will be set up to specifically support the transformation of the IT industry in the region into an AI economy. Five million euros in co-financing will be made available to the two project partners, the City of Böblingen and Softwarezentrum Böblingen/Sindelfingen e.V., for this purpose.

The "Large Scale Robotics Laboratory" (LCRL) building on the campus of the University of Stuttgart will not only be a demonstrator for AI in construction, but also a home and contact point for AI researchers and AI users. The LCRL will use AI in digital building planning, innovative, highly material-efficient and high-performance construction systems as well as digital manufacturing and robotic construction processes. This will transfer the relevant AI expertise to the participating industrial companies. With the support of the Stuttgart Region, the building, which was originally only designed for basic research, will be opened up as an AI Innovation Hub for the transfer of AI expertise to the regional construction industry and start-ups. The University of Stuttgart has been provided with 4.8 million euros in co-financing for this purpose.