Microsoft’s $3.3 billion data center campus in Mount Pleasant isn’t the only investment the company is making in Wisconsin. Along with an expanded physical presence, Microsoft is investing in several education-focused initiatives that business leaders say could cement the state as a leader in the technology industry. One of those initiatives is a forthcoming AI
Microsoft’s $3.3 billion data center campus in Mount Pleasant isn’t the only investment the company is making in Wisconsin. Along with an expanded physical presence, Microsoft is investing in several education-focused initiatives that business leaders say could cement the state as a leader in the technology industry.
One of those initiatives is a forthcoming AI Co-Innovation Lab that will be housed at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’sConnected Systems Institute.
“This could become a destination for (entrepreneurs) to come in and incubate their ideas,” said Joe Hamman, executive director at UWM’s Connected Systems Institute.
[caption id="attachment_579865" align="alignleft" width="300"] Joe Hamman[/caption]
Launched in 2017, the Connected Systems Institute brings together UWM faculty and student researchers and industry members to develop advanced manufacturing processes using the testbed production line at an 11,000-square-feet facility on the UWM campus.
Microsoft’s Co-Innovation Labs give businesses a space to build, develop, prototype and test their AI-centered solutions. Each company’s engineering team works directly with Microsoft experts who are knowledgeable about AI and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.
UWM and Microsoft have a years-long relationship. Microsoft’s chief executive officer Satya Nadella was a graduate student in UWM’s electrical engineering program. He graduated in 1990.
The school’s Connected Systems Institute was also created via a partnership involving Microsoft, WEDC and Milwaukee-based manufacturer Rockwell Automation.
While the CSI’s existing infrastructure did make it a prime candidate for Microsoft’s next AI Co-Innovation lab, Wisconsin’s expertise in manufacturing also played a key role in the decision.
“This really goes beyond UWM,” said Hamman. “It’s looking at things from a macro view. We have a high density of manufacturing companies in the Midwest. Part of the concept with these AI Co-Innovation Labs is to create a space for industry to come and learn and experience (technology).”
This will be the first of Microsoft’s Co-Innovation Labs dedicated to the manufacturing industry. It will also be the first lab housed on a university campus. The lab will host 60-plus unique industry visits each year.
"We literally will have the opportunity to help hundreds of companies, hundreds of manufacturing companies, come in so they can design new AI-based systems that will ensure that Wisconsin manufacturing remains at the forefront of global competitiveness,” said Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft.
“We bring professors with a thirst for more tightly connecting their research interests to industry,” said Hamman. “It’ll bring an opportunity for more students to get involved with hands-on, experientable learning.”
The lab will help businesses with everything from early-stage testing and design evaluation that can be done in a single day, to more focused programs that could last between three to six weeks. A past problem the CSI has helped manufacturers address is the variable quality of their incoming raw materials, said Hamman.
To solve this problem, a graduate student built a unique vision system that took pictures of both good quality and bad quality products. Then, the technology was trained on AI to help automatically weed out materials that were poor quality.
“We’re not just using technology for technology’s sake,” said Hamman. “We’re using it to address known business problems.”
Renovations to the space are anticipated to begin within the next 120 days. An extra 1,000 square feet of space will be added to the CSI. A new experience center where manufacturers can come and see technology first-hand is also being built.
The center of the action
Microsoft’s plans for a new AI Co-Innovation Lab also builds on an existing partnership the organization has with both the Green Bay Packers and TitletownTech leaders.
TitletownTech, a Green Bay-based venture capital firm, announced it will open a Milwaukee branch within the new AI Co-Innovation Lab space.
[caption id="attachment_452906" align="alignleft" width="300"] Craig Dickman, managing director of TitletownTech.[/caption]
Coalescing the state’s competence in manufacturing with the ongoing boom in artificial intelligence, all while leveraging existing partnerships, just made sense, said Craig Dickman, managing partner at TitletownTech.
“When we launched TitletownTech, manufacturing was part of the focus from the very beginning,” said Dickman. “We knew Wisconsin was a special place when it comes to making things.”
Microsoft unveiling initial plans for a Mount Pleasant data center last March triggered discussions about opening a second TitletownTech office. All three organizations considered the best ways to leverage Microsoft’s investment. With Microsoft’s latest $3.3 billion investment, which became public earlier this week, the need for TitletownTech to expand its physical presence became evident.
“We’ve always been active across the state and across the upper Midwest,” said Jill Enos, managing partner at TitletownTech. “This just enables us to have a center point to really raise a beacon and let people know this is where activity happens.”
[caption id="attachment_590032" align="alignleft" width="300"] Jill Enos, managing partner at TitletownTech.[/caption]
TitletownTech will have two people working in the AI Co-Innovation Lab. They’ll serve as an extension of the team in Green Bay. Microsoft will have three full-time and two part-time employees working in the lab.
“What makes (the lab) so unique is that it’s sector focused,” said Dickman. “I also think it’s a unique opportunity to be on a university campus. Adding in what Microsoft can do with their AI innovation, that’s what makes it the first in the world operations.”
TitletownTech has already received inquiries from interested companies, ranging from established businesses to startups, said Enos.
While a final opening date for the lab hasn’t been set, TitletownTech expects to be active in the Milwaukee marketplace within the next month. That means having people in place to help move the lab from concept to reality.
“I think this next phase is getting the details right, because the announcement covered the vision,” said Dickman.
The creation of the AI Co-Innovation Lab will cement Wisconsin as a leader in the tech and manufacturing ecosystem, potentially drawing in talent from the coasts, said Dickman.
“If you’re an early-stage entrepreneur, you’re going to want to be at the center of gravity,” he said. “I think that’s really been created by this unique partnership.
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