Rolls-Royce and Hasso Plattner Institute join forces
Above: (left to right) Alastair McIntosh, Head of Technology Programmes, Civil Aerospace, Rolls-Royce and Director Engineering & Technology, Rolls-Royce Deutschland, Prof Dr Christoph Meinel, Director and Managing Director of the Hasso Plattner Institute, Dean Digital Engineering Faculty, Potsdam University.
The company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Institute today at the Berlin Air Show ILA 2018, committing both parties to pioneering research into Artificial Intelligence (AI), Design Thinking, E-Learning and Data Security and how they can be applied to aerospace research and development, production and services.
The Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) in Potsdam is Germany’s university excellence centre for digital engineering. With its bachelor‘s and master’s degree programs in “IT Systems Engineering,” the Faculty of Digital Engineering, established jointly by HPI and the University of Potsdam, offers an especially practical and engineering-oriented study program in computer science that is unique throughout Germany.
It will work with Rolls-Royce’s acceleration hub for data innovation,R² Data Labs, to create new capabilities at Rolls-Royce which will cover:
- Artificial Intelligence – The analysis of in-service data supported by pioneering AI in the field of pattern recognition, enabling even more precise and customised precautionary maintenance to improve customer operational efficiency.
- Design Thinking – The HPI is renowned for its Design Thinking approach, a process developed for creative problem-solving. Both partners are working together on ways to integrate Design Thinking into Rolls-Royce’s future training and the Digital Academy programme.
- E-Learning –Digital training and knowledge transfer in global companies is an increasingly important success factor. The HPI has great experience in setting up effective digital training and E-Learning environments to support information exchange.
- Data Security – Engines deliver large amounts of data - both in the process of manufacturing and during operation. Research will future data flow, organisation and storage to ensure data integrity and protection is maximised.
The agreement also supports the Rolls-Royce IntelligentEngine vision, based on a belief that the worlds of product and service have become so closely connected that they are now inseparable. The coming together of product and service, supercharged by digital technology, offers Rolls-Royce a wealth of opportunities to improve the way it provides power to its customers.
Alastair McIntosh, Head of Technology Programmes, Civil Aerospace, Rolls-Royce, and Director Engineering & Technology, Rolls-Royce Deutschland, said: “We are excited to be working with the globally-respected Hasso Plattner Institute, continuing our mission to build a diverse community of data innovators. We believe that working with academics, OEM partners, niche start-ups and a broad range of other trusted third-parties this kind of collaborative innovation will unlock the most potential value from data.”
Prof Dr Christoph Meinel, Director and Managing Director of the Hasso Plattner Institute, Dean Digital Engineering Faculty, Potsdam University, said: “We look forward to working with Rolls-Royce to make its operations even more capable, competitive and flexible by maximising its digital capabilities. Our integrated teams of researchers and students are experienced in developing IT solutions for real issues using insights into the decision-making and development processes of companies. The topics our MoU covers are critical to continued business leadership.”
Rolls-Royce, through R² Data Labs, already partners with Tata Consultancy Services and Microsoft, two globally-recognised digital service providers.
The agreement is another example of the commitment of Rolls-Royce and R² Data Labs to build an ecosystem of innovation and partners that bring together the latest thinking and technologies from a wide community of innovators collaborative. R² Data Labs has data innovation capability hubs in the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Singapore, India and New Zealand.
