PRESS RELEASE Press Release: 26.08.19 Digital in NRW supports small and medium-sized businesses in Page 1 von 2 artificial intelligence with trainers Redaktion: Kerstin Hartmann Behind the trend term artificial intelligence (AI) are important technologies with which [email protected] even small and medium-sized enterprises can establish their value creation in a sustaina- [email protected]aachen.de ble way. Digital in NRW - Competence for SMEs now offers companies support. The com- Tel.: 0241 80-26992 petence center is supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy BMWi Geschäftsstelle Rheinland: with around one million euros. Digital in NRW / Mittelstand 4.0- Kompetenzzentrum Dortmund In times of digitalization, new data is generated day by day in companies. These are Campus-Boulevard 30 true treasures, but their value only unfolds with targeted use. "It is also important for 52074 Aachen small and medium-sized enterprises to get to know and use the concrete application www.digital-in-nrw.de possibilities behind the catchword artificial intelligence. Digital in NRW pursues the goal of establishing AI competencies in the companies themselves. Employees should build up extensive knowledge and thus firmly anchor the future topic of AI in their own companies," explains Marie Lindemann, scientific assistant at the Laboratory for Ma- chine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) of RWTH Aachen University and Digital in NRW's Rhineland branch manager.

A wide range of offers on the subject of AI

Technologies such as machine learning or industrial data science enable new processes, products and business models that increase profitability. By the end of 2020, medium- sized companies will be able to take advantage of various offers from Digital in NRW. Specialist events and demo tours are specifically dedicated to this topic, while opera- tors can take advantage of blended learning training courses and access an AI toolbox. Through an initial discussion and further potential analyses within the company, ques- tions relating to the use of AI within the company can be discussed individually and pre- cisely.

All three Digital in NRW locations - Aachen, Dortmund, Ostwestfalen-Lippe - have their own AI trainers. Together with SMEs, they want to take important steps towards artifi- cial intelligence in the coming years. On the one hand, data generated by the company must be recognized, stored and specifically processed. This fundamental preparatory work for the use of AI solutions is often still pending, especially in medium-sized com- panies. On the other hand, the AI trainers are dedicated to building competence within the companies. "AI can be used particularly well when companies have their own ex- perts in this field. In the Competence Center, we are taking the first joint steps in this direction on the basis of small projects with simple application cases," says Louis Hueb- ser, scientific assistant at WZL of RWTH Aachen University and AI trainer at the Rhine- land site.

The first events at Digital in NRW are: Press Release: 26.08.19 Page 2 of 2  September 18, 2019: Digital Sandbox: A Touchable AI, Future Congress Logistics, AI Demonstrators, Fraunhofer IML, Dortmund Redaktion:  Oktober 10, 2019: "Day of Machine Learning" at the CITEC of Bielefeld University Kerstin Hartmann [email protected]  Oktober 15, 2019: Industrial Data Analytics: Application potentials, methods and [email protected] organization, Fraunhofer IEM, Paderborn Tel.: 0241 80-26992  Oktober 24, 2019: "AI in use" a spart of the "Digital. Practical. Close – Industry 4.0 Geschäftsstelle Rheinland: for SMEs", Euskirchen Digital in NRW / Mittelstand 4.0-  November 14, 2019: "Workshop: AI in application", Industrial Museum Tuchfabrik Kompetenzzentrum Dortmund Müller, Euskirchen Campus-Boulevard 30 52074 Aachen

All offers on the subject of artificial intelligence will be available at www.digital-in- www.digital-in-nrw.de nrw.de/ki-trainer

Focus of funding "Mittelstand-Digital" of the BMWi

"Digital in NRW - Competence for SMEs" is part of the "Mittelstand Digital" funding pri- ority of the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). The competence center bundles the expertise of research institutions from the Rhineland, Ruhr Metrop- olis and East-Westphalia-Lippe regions. In addition to around 11.5 million euros in fund- ing from 2016 to 2020, the Competence Center is now receiving around one million euros in support from the BMWi to offer targeted formats for artificial intelligence.

The BMWi funding priority "Mittelstand Digital" informs small and medium-sized en- terprises about the opportunities and challenges of digitalization. Regional compe- tence centers help small retailers as well as larger production companies with expert knowledge, demonstration centers, networks for the exchange of experience and practical examples. The Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy makes it pos- sible to use all offers of Mittelstand Digital free of charge. Further information can be found on www.mittelstand-digital.de

AI technologies are used to record and intelligently monitor operating states: Digital in NRW shows the pos- sibilities of machine learning using the example of the operation of an in- dustrial centrifuge @Fraunhofer IEM