With a private network-ready solution, Dell Technologies is tapping NVIDIA AI acceleration for manufacturing use cases 

Leveraging its expertise in enterprise IT at the edge, and layering in cellular connectivity and AI processing powered by partner NVIDIA, Dell Technologies is looking to help industrial enterprises of all sizes realize tech-enabled efficiency gains. During Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Dell showcased how a craft beer brewery in Massachusetts is using AI and 5G at the edge to “brew more beer,” as Dell’s Head of Global Telecom Thought Leadership Jillian Kaplan explained.

In an interview with RCR Wireless News, Kaplan laid out how Dell worked with NVIDIA and other partners to help connect and digitize Exhibit “A” Brewing Company’s operation. And how this approach can be applied to any manufacturing process. “All of these endpoints can run on a private network making the solution secure and scalable,” Kaplan said. “We have a solution starter kit available for sale, and we’re excited to partner with other manufacturers to digitize their businesses as well.” 

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For Exhibit “A”, Dell digitized the fermentation tanks so temperature and pressure readings could be streamed over a 5G network anywhere at any time. “What that allows them to do is catch temperature and pressure fluctuations right away which enables them to save beer.” This also has a direct positive impact on the brewery’s operating costs. 

On the canning line, a computer vision system is running on a Dell PowerEdge XR4000 server that uses NVIDIA’s L4 Tensor Core GPU. The idea is to immediately detect when cans fall; instead of numerous staff monitoring the canning line, the automated detection system “allows the brewers to be freed up to do other things like brew more beer,” Kaplan said. 

As AI has become the hot topic in virtually all industries, including telecom, NVIDIA has seen a huge boost in market valuation. Similarly Dell Technologies has publicly discussed positive guidance based on, among other things, an uptick in demand for AI-optimized server infrastructure, including servers that use NVIDIA’s GPUs. 

In terms of the larger private network opportunity, Dell is pairing its enterprise edge expertise with Nokia’s ongoing success in this market. Ahead of MWC, Dell adopted Nokia “as its preferred private wireless partner for enterprise edge use cases, providing business with seamless integration and support.” Nokia’s Digital Automation Cloud will be integrated with Dell NativeEdge software platform.

Dell SVP and GM Dennis Hoffman said the combination “will harness each company’s expertise and expanded distribution to simply and quickly scale modern telecom networks and private 5G use cases.”