The keyword was transformation – energy transition and digitalization are key to sustainable development
Vienna (OTS) – Investments in renewable energy and technologies are crucial for the future. Renewal.Change.Innovation was therefore the title of the 7th German-Austrian Technology Forum on March 13th and 14th at the Novotel Wien Hauptbahnhof, which was organized by the German Chamber of Commerce in Austria in cooperation with Fraunhofer Austria. The content ranged from renewable energies to AI. Leading industry representatives from Beckhoff Automation to Siemens, the INNIO Group, AccuPower and LEAG spoke on the podium. Around 150 guests followed the lectures with interest, and panel discussions invited active participation. As in previous years, the moderation took over Prof. Wilfried Sihn, Senior Advisor at Fraunhofer Austria Research. “Digitalization and new technologies are the key to ensuring that society and the economy act responsibly.”
Also Vito Cecere, German ambassador to Austria, saw the widespread use of AI in industry as a huge opportunity for Europe. Load during the subsequent warm-up George KrauseManaging Director of msg Plaut Austria and Patricia Neumann, CEO of Siemens Austria, to deal with the topic of digital humanism and to use the opportunities for development and development. Krause presented his recently published book “Digital Humanism as the Foundation for Digital Success in Europe?”
AI is diverse
AI was also the topic of the opening keynote Prof. Antonio Kruger, CEO and scientific director of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, DFKI. Under the title “European AI – Impulses for Transformation” the scientist explained the role of AI as a transformative technology, how the economy can benefit from it and discussed the recently passed EU AI Act. “It is necessary to regulate in order to restrict AI and make innovation possible.”
Statutory regulations must not stifle innovation. The DFKI has been researching AI in a public-private partnership for over 30 years and is in close cooperation with industry. “You can only get good data from the real world
“Krüger explained. The DFKI develops demonstrators and is a partner from pre-development to prototypes; the transfer into actual product lines is often supervised. “The DFKI is committed to human-centered artificial intelligence,” informed Krüger. On average, 350 to 400 projects are running at the DFKI, which corresponds to the great potential of AI in very different industries. “The industry can ultimately be the big winner with AI “If the foundations are laid correctly,” evaluated Sabine Hesse, Managing Director of the Metal Technology Industry Association during the subsequent panel discussion. Security is needed for this, she also spoke about the AI Act. Beate El-Chichakli, Head of the Policy Affairs & Research Institutions Department at the BMK, referred to the streamlining of bureaucracy and relief for employees through artificial intelligence. AI can not only reduce human error, it can also make predictions and optimize processes – urgently needed in view of climate change. During a round of dialogue Christian KnillChairman of the Metal Technology Industry Association and CEO of the Knill Energy Group, emphasized that the industry must be respected as an ally and implementer on the climate issue, not as an enemy, as so often happens.
AI as a vision of the future
Harald Pflanzl, Vice President of the German Chamber of Commerce in Austria and Senior Vice President BASF EMEA South East, added that the transformation can only be managed by strong and competitive companies and reported a technological sensation. BASF has the high-performance computer Quriosity with the computing power of around 50,000 laptops. This means that BASF is pretty much alone; the computing infrastructure is still missing in the European economy. However, according to Professor Krüger, there is a trend in research to move away from giant parameter models that require a lot of computing power. The question always arises as to whether a 500 billion parameter model is really needed. He identified great potential for AI in the robotics sector. Reported on this Thomas Morscher, Head of Robotics Development at Beckhoff Automation, from the ATRO modular system, with which robot structures can be put together individually and flexibly for different apps, and the TwinCAT automation suite, which converts almost any PC-based system into a real-time control system with several PLCs, NCs, CNCs and/or robotics runtime systems.
Transformation urgently needed
Michael Freyny, head of the Digital Industries division at Siemens Austria, discussed two factors that need to be taken into account: collaboration and speed of adaptation. “AI creates new partnerships. You have to recognize which company, even if it is a competitor, has high competencies and use them.” Change is also needed in the energy system. “Sticking to what already exists is not enough for sustainable security of supply,” he said Andreas Kunz, CTO at INNIO Jenbacher. For example, highly flexible, quick-starting and hydrogen-capable CHP power plants are needed to cover energy peaks and micro grids, because wind energy and PV alone cannot meet these requirements due to their volatility. Moritz Minarik, CEO of AccuPower, named lithium iron phosphate and sodium ions as alternatives in the battery sector that meet the requirements, especially in fire protection, and reported on the Accommodation Extender charging medium. Batteries also spoke Thorsten Kramer, CEO of Lausitz Energie, with the structural change project GigawattFactory, which will, among other things, create Germany’s largest battery park. The unmanned helicopter Camcopter S 100, which also uses sensors and cameras to carry out measurements and analyzes in the maritime sector, for example of the sea surface or ship exhaust gases, was shown Uwe Hensel from Schiebel Electronic Devices, another use of AI.
At the end of the 7th Technology Forum, Professor Antonio Krüger mentioned his desire for AI. He is looking forward to personal educational assistants who, with personalized plans, will enable lifelong learning in a relatively efficient and low-threshold way and thus bring education to all regions of the world – which is guaranteed to happen, he is sure.
Questions & Contact:
German Chamber of Commerce in Austria
Berenika Sterba, MA
Phone: +43 1 545 14 17-28