TechHub: Self-Healing AI, Rising Cost of Water, Transform 2019

Adobe, Hitachi Use AI for IT and OT

WSJ highlights some solid examples of “self-healing” AI systems that companies like Adobe and Hitachi have deployed to handle IT and OT tasks.

At Adobe, AI is correcting errors that result from data batching, or quickly transferring large amounts of data.

At Hitachi Vantara, a subsidiary, an AI network addresses an operational technology task with real-time analytics and sensors that “monitor, analyze and self-correct temperature and airflow in data centers.”

WSJ reports the initiative has saved “38 percent in annual data center costs” and increased storage capacities.

Within three to five years, AI-enabled networks are predicted to become mainstream at big companies, said Rohit Mehra, vice president of network infrastructure at research firm International Data Corp.

Rohit Mehra, VP of network infrastructure at research firm International Data Corp.

Data Analytics, High-Performance HMI Ease Rising Water Utility Costs

The American Waterworks Association reports that consumer charges for drinking water and wastewater service are outpacing the consumer price index.

“Between the 2016 and 2018 surveys, charges increased 7.2 percent for water and 7.5 percent for wastewater. During the same span, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 4.6 percent,” AWWA reported.

Capital spending by utilities hit an all-time high of more than $50 billion in 2017. Many utilities have doubts about how they will keep up with the rising capital costs.

The prevailing contention at water conferences like AWWA ACE held last month in Denver, Colo., is that digital water utility assets offer lower-cost solutions.

Dave Geiger of GrayMatter and Scott Duhaime of GE Digital wrote in the latest edition of Opflow, AWWA’s newsletter, that optimization through high-performance HMI graphics is one way utilities are reducing the possibility of costly errors.

“Poor-performing HMI screens are cited as significant contributing factors to mistakes. ANSI/ISA-101, Human Machine Interfaces for Process Automation Systems, is a standard that addresses how information (not just data) is presented to operators. The standard consists of recommendations for providing an operator with the visualization tools and information needed to improve safety, quality, productivity, and reliability,” Geiger and Duhaime wrote.

Visit AWWA’s website to find the rest of the report.

To set up an opportunity to discuss what high-performance graphics can do for your utility, contact GrayMatter.

Time is Running Out to Sign Up for Transform 2019

GrayMatter’s Transform 2019 Industrial Intelligence Conference at Put-in-Bay, Ohio, July 30 – Aug. 1 is getting close to capacity.

If you’ve been thinking about registering for this year’s conference, now is the time. Look for speakers from PPG, Bell, Smucker’s, T. Marzetti and many more.

Check out our agenda. It has all of our keynotes and breakout sessions for leaders in manufacturing, water, energy, reliability, cybersecurity and more.

We’ll be starting with a Tech Showcase on the evening of July 30. You’ll have a chance to network with conference attendees.

Don’t miss out on the biggest Transform yet!