At the Green-AI Hub Forum in Berlin, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment presented the results of selected AI pilot projects aimed at improving resource efficiency in small and medium-sized enterprises. With the help of sustainable AI solutions from the Green-AI Hub, one of four AI initiatives launched by the BMUV, the participating companies were able to achieve savings of up to 15 percent in materials and energy in some cases.
At the Green-AI Hub Forum on April 10, around 200 representatives from business, associations, and research discussed current AI developments and how companies can use AI profitably. Dr. Susanne Lottermoser, Head of the “Transformation – Digitalization, Circular Economy, Climate Adaptation” department at the BMUV, and Dr. Constanze Haug, Managing Director of Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG), praised the completed pilot projects. At the same time, they gave the go-ahead for two new projects.
Dr. Susanne Lottermoser: “The Green AI Hub is aimed specifically at SMEs that want to tackle economic and social challenges with modern AI solutions. The funded projects show how we can use artificial intelligence for greater resource efficiency and circular economy, for the environment and climate. In this way, we are helping to make Germany and Europe a pioneer in sustainable AI while also promoting the circular economy.”
The Green AI Hub is coordinated by ZUG and implemented by the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). So far, 18 pilot projects have been implemented, some of which will present their results at the GAIH Forum:
- Together with Heismann Drehtechnik from Velbert, a solution was developed that uses AI to optimize early fault detection in production in order to save ten tons of material per year, including steel, aluminum, and brass.
- The project with Brammibal’s Donuts investigated the extent to which the ordering system for goods in stores can be optimized using AI to avoid waste from excessively produced donuts.
- Fieldcode from Nuremberg worked with DFKI to develop an LLM (Large Language Model) system that automatically provides recommendations on whether a customer problem can be solved remotely or whether a field service call and specific replacement parts are required. This is intended to reduce field service trips and thus save materials and energy.
- All AI solutions developed are made available as open source so that other German SMEs can benefit from them.
Dr. Constanze Haug, Managing Director of ZUG: “The Green AI Hub’s pilot projects provide valuable insights into how companies can use modern AI technology to conserve resources, which also offers economic opportunities. I am delighted that we can disseminate the results and make the solutions developed available to other companies in the future. The Green AI Hub is present at events, in companies, and with its own workshops throughout Germany and actively supports the implementation of AI on site.”
At the same time, two new pilot projects were launched: Over the next six months, an AI model will be developed at Robert Bosch GmbH’s Homburg site that measures and optimizes the exact wear and tear of the tools used in the milling process. At agricultural machinery manufacturer GROUP SCHUMACHER in Eichelhardt, Rhineland-Palatinate, AI will improve data-based forecasting of storage capacities, purchasing, and production planning.
Prof. Oliver Thomas, spokesperson for the Green-AI Hub and head of the Smart Enterprise Engineering research department at DFKI: “Sustainability is not an end in itself – it unfolds its greatest value when it is considered in conjunction with efficiency and economic viability. This is exactly where the Green AI Hub comes in: we support companies in using artificial intelligence to operate in a more resource-efficient and competitive manner. This combination of ecological and economic transformation is known as the twin transition. This creates real added value, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises: for the companies, for the environment, and for the future viability of our business location.”
The Green AI Hub is an AI initiative of the BMUV. As part of the German government’s strategy, the BMUV is providing €150 million in funding to promote the sustainable design of AI and the use of its opportunities for the benefit of the climate and the environment. On behalf of the BMUV, Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH coordinates the implementation of the Green AI Hub. The German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), the Wuppertal Institute, the VDI Technology Center, and the VDI Center for Resource Efficiency are responsible for its operation.
