Alithya’s vast experience and expertise is helping advance the state-of-the-art in AI services
IDC is forecasting a 25% increase in worker productivity by 2026 due to the expected adoption of AI and machine learning solutions by a vast majority of organizations. So, how does AI contribute to that goal? By providing faster, more efficient results that generate significant savings of time and money.
An important moment for AI
From the perspective of Alithya’s Engineering AI Lead, these are exciting times to be part of this accelerated growth of Engineering AI, particularly within the nuclear industry. While working at Alithya, I completed my PhD in computer engineering last summer, with a special focus on AI. I have been with the company for almost 8 years, and I am currently Alithya’s Engineering AI Lead, working for the Engineering department at the Pickering office. In my role, I am responsible for leading Alithya’s AI engineering projects, as well as for managing academic/industry collaborations between Alithya and Canadian universities, and for representing the company at AI conferences. Additionally, I manage various project proposals, among other responsibilities. With a bright future for AI in front of us, Alithya is ready to roll, with a head start in designing solutions that combine the company’s extensive domain knowledge with emerging new technologies. With respect to AI, Alithya is on the leading edge of new possibilities, with a focus on providing ‘Edge AI’ solutions to our customers in the field.
While Cloud AI solutions have been the most commonly applied in recent years, Edge AI is evolving as a real-time alternative to the former’s focus on post processing. Simply put, Edge AI combines Edge Computing and Artificial Intelligence algorithms to process data locally, either directly on a device or on a nearby server. In other words, rather than transferring data to a cloud environment where AI algorithms can later process it, Edge AI delivers real-time processing of data generated directly from the devices themselves, enabling quicker decisions that can be critical to a business’s efficiency.
An enviable marriage
Alithya has been actively developing AI solutions for its clients in the nuclear industry, where the company has amassed decades of experience and has successfully delivered hundreds of projects. Alithya’s convergence of AI data scientists and domain experts allows us to leverage more than 40 years of nuclear industry experience to develop targeted solutions. Our ability to marry technical know-how with extensive industry knowledge provides us with a competitive advantage, enabling our teams to focus on advancing the state-of-the-art. That teamwork has been the foundation of Alithya’s advance in developing and delivering AI solutions to help to secure Canada’s energy sector, enabling real-time analysis of critical nuclear systems that remain disconnected from the security vulnerabilities of the Internet.
Connections and collaborations
Among the many AI-based projects that Alithya has participated in thus far, the company worked on a research project to explore the utilization of AI solutions to automate the inspection of CANDU reactor fuel channels. Alithya’s AI solution achieved very high accuracy in comparison to manual human processes, providing great possibilities for significant cost savings for our clients. Alithya also developed an AI solution for Material Demand Forecasting for Supply Chain that helped a customer to identify surplus inventory and adjust its supply chain parameters. Alithya also actively funds research projects at Canadian universities that offer the promise of innovative new AI applications and technologies. Additionally, Alithya participates in high level conferences that offer opportunities for bridging our expertise, developing new partnerships, and staying abreast of what our competitors are doing.
Forging ahead
I am a firm believer that, once properly developed, AI is the path to generating savings of time and money through the automation of human tasks. I am therefore excited about the work that we are doing at Alithya, where our mixture of engineering and IT capabilities continues to foster the successful delivery of leading-edge solutions for our customers. Complemented by our extensive experience in cloud technologies, cyber security, and OT-IT convergence, Alithya’s offerings continue to advance along the path to a bright AI future.