AI Marketplace research project

Task and Objective

The AI Marketplace project is a research project that will run until 2023 and is funded with a grant of 11 million euros from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. The objective of the project is to create an ecosystem for artificial intelligence (AI) in product creation with additional services, information and apps for concrete industrial applications. To achieve this aim, the project partners are building a digital platform that will make it possible for AI experts, solution providers and manufacturing companies to jointly develop AI solutions for product creation and make them available to other users.

The prostep ivip Association is involved in the consortium project as one of 19 partners. Our tasks include identifying potential for the use of AI in product creation, examining standards for AI applications, and disseminating the project results more widely using a variety of PR measures in the project environment.

You can also find out more directly on the platform:
https://plattform.ki-marktplatz.com/Group/Welcome/Willkommen

Focus and concrete results

The platform was subject to significant expansion in 2022. The range of functions, for example, has been expanded to include an app store for AI solutions in product creation. The consortium partners also used the platform to make the reference process for product creation publicly accessible. This allows previously developed potential for AI in the product creation process to be clearly pinpointed and make it possible to identify AI potential using a process-oriented approach.

Another highlight, especially from the perspective of the prostep ivip Association, was the publication of a white paper entitled "Are Your Engineering IT Standards Ready for AI?". It includes an extensive analysis of engineering standards in terms of their ability to serve as input for AI applications. The white papers also examines the specific challenges and options involved when it comes to implementing these applications.

Organizational and technical challenges

The key challenge in 2022 was delays in implementing the platform. The implementation of some applications was more complex than anticipated. For this reason, among others, the project partners requested a cost-neutral project extension of six months, which was approved. This means that the project will not be concluded until mid-2023; it was originally scheduled to conclude at the end of 2022. The extension ensures that the objectives of the project will be achieved.

Planning for the current year 2023

The plans for 2023 include finalizing the platform and further expanding the network for AI in product creation to ensure a smooth transition to commercial operation in the middle of the year, when public funding expires. Preparations for commercial operation and the spin-off of an operating company will also be key milestones.

What the project coordinator says:

"Thanks to outstanding collaboration in the project consortium, we were also well able to get to grips with interdisciplinary challenges. The AI marketplace demonstrates that trust-based collaboration in distributed virtual teams can also function well across company boundaries. We wish the project all the best for the transition to commercial operation."