AWS collaborates with UWA digital cloud initiative

The University of Western Australia’s Energy & Resources Digital Interoperability (ERDi) TestLab (the Testlab) has announced that Amazon Web Services (AWS) has become the principal cloud provider for the Testlab. This collaboration between AWS and the ERDi TestLab will enable a step change in the adoption and deployment of Industry 4.0 digital transformation within the energy and mining industries as set out by the Prime Minister’s Industry 4.0 Taskforce report.

This collaboration will build the knowledge and capability of Testlab member companies to adopt cloud-native architectures and technologies — such as auto-scaling, high-performance computing and security — that are key to driving sustainable operational performance improvements across the value chain in an Industry 4.0 landscape. The collaboration will also provide greater accessibility for Testlab member companies to current and emerging cloud technologies and the opportunities to test and validate their existing software applications within a cloud environment. This includes, but is not limited to, interoperability considerations between different software applications.

AWS will provide cloud expertise and services to Testlab member companies to guide and support their respective cloud transition journeys to develop next-generation, high-performance software applications for the energy and mining industries. The mechanisms for AWS to provide cloud expertise and services will include, but are not limited to, participation in the defined Testlab projects, technical presentations and immersion days on relevant topics (such as IoT, AIML, data and analytics), technical support to address the specific needs of a Testlab member, supporting proof of concepts to test realistic datasets at scale and deepening the understanding of the AWS Culture of Innovation and the Art of the Possible.

“We are pleased to be the principal cloud provider for the ERDi TestLab,” said Sarah Bassett, Amazon Web Services Head of WA & SA. “This collaboration represents the commitment AWS has to working with customers, partners and the community to build future industry skills and impactful solutions in mining and energy. We are acutely aware of the rapid technological changes occurring in the industry and believe this is a great opportunity to collaborate on the application of cloud technology to overcome today’s challenges and innovate for tomorrow. We look forward to breaking new ground together, actively contributing and growing Industry 4.0 in Western Australia.”

“We have also been involved in designing and developing some high-performance, cloud-native, auto-scaling software ourselves and we have found the knowledge of various concepts and skillsets required to do this well is vastly different from traditional software design and development approaches,” said John Kirkman, co-founder of the UWA I4.0 ERDi TestLab. “As such, we consider it is of critical importance to help close knowledge gaps across the mining and energy sectors so that the next generation of high-performance and interoperable software becomes a reality, sooner rather than later. This is where the collaboration with AWS will have great impact.”

Those who are interested to find out more about the collaboration and how to get access to these services can contact the ERDi TestLab.

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