TechHub: Google Pledges $1B for Tech Education, Additive Manufacturing News & More

Google Pledges $1 Billion for Tech Education, Training

Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai unveiled an initiative for a $1 Billion program for tech education and training on Thursday at the company’s Pittsburgh office – noting the city’s transformation from an industrial manufacturing center for steel to a hub of robotics and artificial intelligence engineering.

Sundar Pichai, the chief executive of Google, announcing the Grow With Google program in Pittsburgh.

The new program, Grow With Google, will create an online destination for job seekers to get training and professional certificates and for businesses to improve their web services.

It will allow anyone with an Internet connection to become proficient with technology and prepare for a job in areas like IT support and app development, according to The New York Times.

“We understand there’s uncertainty and even concern about the pace of technological change, but we know that technology will be an engine of America’s growth for years to come,” Pichai said. “The nature of work is fundamentally changing, and that is shifting the link between education, training and opportunity.”

This announcement comes shortly after Apple announced in May that it was creating a $1 Billion fund to invest in advanced U.S. manufacturing, and Amazon in January announcing plans to hire 100,000 new employees over the next 18 months.

Additive Manufacturing: Possibility Meets Reality Through Generative Design

What we know of products and their manufacturing, distribution, assembly and maintenance processes may be obsolete in the not too distant future, according to Forbes.

Massive disruption, thanks to new technologies such as additive manufacturing and generative design, are already having a profound impact on the industrial space.

An example of a 3D printed gear. The gears inside the part can rotate. It would be virtually impossible without a 3D printer. Image credit: GE Reports/Chris New

GE recently shared how additive manufacturing, also known as 3-D printing, has changed turbine frame assembly from a process requiring 300 parts and 60 engineers to one that requires one digital file and eight engineers, as well as an assembly of only 50 source parts down to one.

If this sounds dramatic, that’s because it is.

“There is a seismic shift occurring in manufacturing, fueled by the fourth industrial revolution and shaped by digital transformation.”

Traditional manufacturing processes are giving way to new technologies, with additive manufacturing and generative design transforming supply chains and facilitating the innovation and customization buyers seek.

The effects of these technologies will be felt from the factory floor to the boardroom as their role expands to end-use parts. Rethinking the supply chain as well as how to effectively leverage generative design and additive manufacturing is now imperative for companies seeking to build sustainable brands and products in this new manufacturing paradigm, according to Forbes.

CRN’s 2017 IoT Innovators Awards

The Internet of Things is beginning to truly take off as companies recognize the benefits of IoT solutions in terms of data insight, predictive maintenance and improved customer service.

But customers are still facing hurdles as they figure out how to integrate complex solutions while also taking security and return on investment into consideration.

Co-innovated smart drinking fountain by GrayMatter & DC Water.

From systems integration to managed services, solution providers are key to filling in the gaps when it comes to helping customers set up and implement IoT projects. Solution providers with the necessary vertical market expertise and critical relationships with multiple vendors and customers are expressing interest in IoT,  but some are taking it to the next level by successfully deploying solutions with their clients, according to CRN.

GrayMatter is proud to have made the list as an IoT Innovator for our work with DC Water on co-innovating a smart sensor drinking fountain.

The new tech fountains have sensors that use real-time data and analytics to monitor both water quality and flow levels, sending that information to the cloud and back, alerting when water quality measurements begin to deteriorate.

By measuring water quality and flow in real time, they give users more confidence in the water they are drinking while saving money spent on maintenance and testing.

“This project redefines public water consumption, putting people and clean water first,” said Jim Gillespie, GrayMatter CEO.

Learn more about GrayMatter water innovations by reading our white paper:

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