Artificial intelligence (AI) offers great potential in product development: Manufacturing companies can deploy their development capacities more efficiently, shorten throughput times and reduce manufacturing costs. However, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lack the experts to integrate AI applications into the product development process. Led by the Heinz Nixdorf Institute, 20 project partners now set out to launch a platform that simplifies the use of AI for SMEs.

The AI Marketplace is expanded step by step. In the first stage, an intelligent matching process connects manufacturing companies with the most suitable AI developers and experts. The second stage introduces a protected data space where companies can share development and test data. AI developers use this information to train their applications and adapt them to real-life industry requirements.

For the third expansion stage, a webshop is implemented with CONTACT Elements. It enables companies to purchase AI applications and services and to conclude contracts with the providers. The final expansion stage includes an AI toolkit that allows companies to build AI applications customized to their needs.

The consortium

Heinz Nixdorf Institute (consortium leader), CLAAS, Diebold Nixdorf, FIWARE Foundation, several Fraunhofer Institutes, Hella Gutmann, inno-focus, innovation cluster it's OWL, International Data Spaces Association, prostep ivip, UNITY and numerous other associated and consortium partners