Project: HPC for SME

Project leaders
Morgan Ericsson, Diana Unander
Other project members
Peter Jonsson (economist), John Jeansson, Katarina Ellborg, Elin Gunnarsson, Björn Lindenberg, and Jonas Nordqvist, Arslan Musaddiq, Niklas Andersson, Alexander Gustafsson, Laure Fournier and Elizaveta Kopacheva.
Participating organisations
Linnaeus University
Funding
The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, the European Regional Development Fund (ERUF), Region Kalmar County, Region Kronoberg, and Linnaeus University
Timeline
1 March 2023–30 June 2026
Subject area
Data and information science (Department of Computer Science and Media Technology, Faculty of Technology) and business informatics (Department of Marketing and Tourism Science, School of Business and Economics)
Research Group
Data Intensive Software Technologies and Applications (DISTA)
Linnaeus University Centre
Linnaeus University Centre for Data Intensive Sciences and Applications (DISA)
Linnaeus Knowledge Environment
Digital Transformations

During the project, we want to meet all kinds of companies that might be interested in working with data-driven development. Our project coordinator and other project participants will make company visits, discuss needs and opportunities and then be able to guide the company to activities and initiatives that may suit you.

We know from experience that many companies are unsure of how to start working with data-driven development and that there are several common questions that will be answered through more general inspirational lectures, these will be given both physically and eventually also available digitally. If you are a slightly larger group at a company or if you gather several companies, we are happy to come out to you to give you inspiration about what is possible and how to best get started with the work.

Once they have decided to start working more data-driven, many companies often find it difficult to know where to start. We therefore work with a workshop approach that has so far been very successful and where individual companies receive help and support to answer several different questions to describe needs and priorities more clearly. By gathering several different functions from the company for a joint discussion, we can come a long way in a relatively short time (half a day). The methodology helps to provide a good overview of what is important to the business and together a basis is produced to then choose between suitable activities. To get quick results and maintain interest, it is important to start with something concrete, limited, and small-scale work and test methods and then scale up the work.

Within the project, we offer competence-enhancing activities of a more in-depth nature than the previously described inspirational lectures. Some prior understanding is required and we go a little more in-depth on various issues of technology, business models, legal and ethical issues and sustainability issues.

The themes of the lectures are based on the interests and needs that have emerged in dialogues with companies. The lectures are an easy way for you to strengthen your knowledge without having to read entire courses. The lectures will mainly be recorded so there is a package of ready-made lectures where you can watch what suits your needs right now, you will find the lectures here.

Are you missing a topic that you would like to know more about? Do not hesitate to contact us and we will see if we can produce one or more on that theme.

If you find a lecture that you want to learn more about, they can also be given live if there is a group of interested people from small and medium-sized enterprises. New lectures will be added throughout the project.

Experience shows that companies are often unsure about how to proceed with their ideas and need guidance and support to discuss their current situation.

Interested companies are matched with people from our project group to discuss solutions to common problems and challenges or the specific issues you are facing.

The coaching can take place on a single occasion or consist of a series of coaching sessions depending on your specific needs.

Like our sister project IoT Lab for SMEs, we work closely with companies to jointly experiment with the technology in the form of so-called pilot cases. Data-driven development, with AI/machine learning and High-Performance Computing techniques and tools, can change businesses and develop new ideas that drive internal development forward. As a small company, being given the opportunity to work with new technology means a lot for the self-image and helps to take new steps on their digitalization journey.

The form of the pilot case is to work together with the companies for a short period of time under flexible forms, with an estimated work effort of between 2-8 hours per week depending on the company's needs and priority based on the project's goals. The companies are driving the process and formulate their problems and challenges themselves and are then given support and guidance to realize these. The support can for example be about extracting, managing data, refining data or scaling, but can also be about the choice of method for processing data or the use of HPCC.

Ongoing pilot cases

Itfitsu

Itfitsu wants to offer their customers a digital fitting room to make it easier to sell secondhand clothes online. They have developed an app in the form of a digital fitting room that is now available for download in the form of an MVP. In this pilot case, we will work together with Itfitsu to further develop and refine the model for the digital fitting room.

Victory Pipes

Victory Pipes has a range of carbon fiber tools that can be assembled and used for remediation, maintenance, and inspection at high altitude from the ground, the tools have a range of 15-16 meters. Depending on where to use the tools and for what you need to consider different things for a correct handling in a safe way for the practitioner.

In this pilot case, together with Victory Pipes, we will look at the possibilities of customizing instruction manuals depending on the tool, location and what is to be done. We want to see if it is possible, through a combination of different text sources, to obtain a proof of concept for instruction manuals that are adapted to the specific location, the requirements and regulations that apply and the product used. This can be done initially by developing a basic set of instructions based on general scenarios using AI tools. As a second step, we can see if this can be automated.

OCCDEC

OCCDEC works internationally with AI and deep learning algorithms to contribute to a society where people regardless of language and background can feel safe. Within the framework of their pilot case in Scandinavia, we will investigate the possibility of identifying different categories of sound recorded in the urban environment and then look at different ways to visualize the data that comes from the model.

Swepart

The company Swepart specialises in the development and manufacturing of advanced transmission solutions. Currently, they replace the cutting tools in their machines either because they are worn out and at risk of breaking, or to maintain the quality of the processed detail. To avoid defects on the details or machine damage, the cutting tools are replaced with a certain margin, often before they are truly worn out.

The pilot case is a first step in investigating various technical solutions to automate and predict wear on cutting tools using vibration measurements and computer vision. Both approaches gather large amounts of data, which are then processed with the help of AI models.

Qvanti

Qvanti is a company that streamlines restaurants, hotels, and cafes by combining procurement, goods reception, inventory, and recipe calculations into one platform. In the pilot case, the possibility of developing models to predict the consumption of different dishes and items offered in a hotel breakfast is explored, considering factors such as occupancy, day of the week, weather, and more.

The project supports companies in scrutinising their existing business models, as well as helping them understand how these models can be affected and potentially developed through the use of new technology. We will also examine sustainability issues, as the technology can provide companies with increased insight into their ecological footprint. We will primarily work with the companies conducting pilot cases within the project, but there may also be opportunities for other interested companies to get involved, so don’t hesitate to contact us if you are interested. During the implementation, our researchers will meet with the company on three occasions.

The company's digital temperature and drivers - the purpose is, together with those at the company who are responsible for digital initiatives: (1) to discuss the company's view on the current initiative's potential contribution to value creation; (2) to reflect on and evaluate the company's ongoing digital transformation. A central idea for this activity is to provide the company with a snapshot of its digital transformation.

Business modelling - In the form of a business model workshop at the Business Lab at the School of Business and Economics at Linnaeus University. The purpose is for the company's management and those responsible for digital initiatives, together with participants from the School of Business and Economics, to innovate/develop their business model.

The company's actions and outcomes - This third occasion takes place some time after the company's data-driven solution has been developed and tested. The purpose is, in light of the presented solution and developed business model, together with the company's management and those responsible for digital initiatives, to discuss: (1) perceived areas of tension/challenges, (2) decisions and actions, (3) success factors, and (4) outcomes. A central idea for this activity is the importance of purposeful and long-term action for benefit realisation.