Rolls-Royce signs MOU with The Alan Turing Institute to advance industrial artificial intelligence

Rolls-Royce has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with The Alan Turing Institute to undertake collaborative research and innovation in data science and analytics. The collaboration aims to develop next generation Artificial Intelligence, specifically for use in industrial applications.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said: “Advances in science, technology and data are changing the way we live and work. Through our modern Industrial Strategy, and its landmark AI Sector Deal, we want to ensure the UK continues to be at the heart of this growing industry, reap the economic benefits and deliver the transformational nature of this technology to people across the country.

“This agreement between The Alan Turing Institute and Rolls-Royce will make a valuable contribution in this pioneering field, bringing together the best minds from both institutions to develop innovative AI solutions of tomorrow.”

Neil Crockett, Chief Digital Officer, Rolls-Royce, commented: “This collaboration is about delivering real-world impact from AI technologies, but on an industrial scale. At Rolls-Royce, we believe that AI is central to unleashing huge value for our customers and from within our own business, and in achieving our goal of pioneering the power that matters.”

“This MoU signals an exciting new phase in Rolls-Royce’s relationship with The Alan Turing Institute. We believe this collaboration will further strengthen Rolls-Royce’s reputation as a world-leading adopter of AI technologies in an industrial context. At the same time, it will support the institute’s position, and thus the UK’s position, as a global centre of excellence for data science and AI.”

The two organisations will work together to co-design and deliver a programme of collaborative research in data science and AI. In particular, jointly-run research projects will explore how data science can be applied at scale; the application of AI across supply chains; data-centric engineering and predictive maintenance; and the role of data analytics and AI in science.

In addition to research and innovation, the two organisations will work together to raise awareness of the importance of data science and AI in building a strong UK economy for the future.

Alan Wilson, CEO of The Alan Turing Institute, said: “Rolls-Royce has a long tradition of investing in some of the best research institutions in the UK and overseas. We share a common goal of shaping the world we live in for the better and I am delighted that the Turing will collaborate with Rolls-Royce in some of our key strategic areas: to develop and apply data science and AI approaches to tackle real world problems, as well as to train future generations in these transformative subjects.”

Collaborative data innovation sits at the heart of Rolls-Royce’s digital strategy. R2 Data Labs, the data innovation arm of Rolls-Royce, already partners with Tata Consultancy Services and Microsoft, two globally-recognised digital service providers. This agreement with The Alan Turing Institute follows recently announced partnerships with IoT Tribe North, Seraphim Space Camp Accelerator and Startupbootcamp, three leading accelerators for tech startups.

About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc

  1. Rolls-Royce pioneers cutting-edge technologies that deliver the cleanest, safest and most competitive solutions to meet our planet’s vital power needs.
  2. Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces, 4,000 marine customers including 70 navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers.
  3. Annual underlying revenue was £13.8 billion in 2016, around half of which came from the provision of aftermarket services. The firm and announced order book stood at £82.7 billion at the end of June 2017.
  4. In 2016, Rolls-Royce invested £1.3 billion on research and development. We also support a global network of 31 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research.
  5. Rolls-Royce employs almost 50,000 people in 50 countries. More than 16,500 of these are engineers.
  6. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills. In 2016 we recruited 274 graduates and 327 apprentices through our worldwide training programmes.
  7. In November 2017, Rolls-Royce launched R2 Data Labs, an acceleration hub for data innovation. Using advanced data analytics, industrial Artificial Intelligence and machine learning techniques, R2 Data Labs develops data applications that unlock design, manufacturing and operational efficiencies within Rolls-Royce, and creates new service propositions for customers.

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