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Artificial Intelligence

Utilidata’s Distributed AI to be Deployed with Portland General Electric

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Portland, Oregon, March 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  Utilidata, an industry leading grid-edge technology company, announced today that Portland General Electric (PGE) will pilot Utilidata’s smart grid chip, a first-of-its-kind distributed artificial intelligence (AI) platform, in Oregon.

Utilidata’s smart grid chip, powered by the NVIDIA Jetson platform, is a new distributed AI platform installed alongside electric meters that integrates distributed energy resources (DERs) including solar, battery storage, and electric vehicles (EVs) and enhances resiliency of the electric grid. Leveraging NVIDIA accelerated computing and AI technology, the smart grid chip collects and analyzes large amounts of granular data at the edge of the grid in real-time. With this open, software-defined platform electric utilities expect to be able to seamlessly add more clean energy, reduce power outages, enable quicker storm recovery, and ultimately lower the cost of grid operations. The smart grid chip’s open software design also allows PGE and their partners to develop custom applications and solutions.

Smart grid chips are anticipated to be installed within PGE’s Smart Grid Test Bed, which incentivizes customers to use smart-home technologies. This first phase of the deployment will provide initial real-time visibility at the edge of the grid and support PGE’s decarbonization transition. Ultimately, this positions PGE to scale the next generation of distributed intelligence across a modern grid.   

“In Oregon, we are experiencing the impacts of climate change first-hand and recognize the urgent need for innovation at the grid edge as we transition to a clean energy future,” said Ananth Sundaram, Senior Manager of Integrated Grid at Portland General Electric. “Investing in new technologies for the grid is a key strategy for PGE to achieve its climate goals and provide customers with clean, affordable, and resilient energy.”

PGE serves over 900,000 customers and has ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets, including an 80 percent reduction in baseline GHG emissions from power served to retail customers. To meet these targets, PGE aims to source 25 percent of its peak load, which is when energy demand and costs are highest, from clean energy resources at the edge of the grid such as residential rooftop solar and batteries. The smart grid chip will enable PGE to better leverage these DERs to meet its goals.

“Modernizing grid infrastructure in time to meet essential decarbonization goals requires transformational leadership,” said Jess Melanson, Utilidata President and Chief Operating Officer. “Utilidata is proud to work with Portland General Electric, an innovative partner who understands the value of making investments to not only solve today’s challenges, but to prepare for the dramatic changes the grid will face in the coming years. We are inspired by PGE’s commitment to innovation and look forward to working together to transform grid operations and better serve PGE customers.”

“No industry stands to gain as much from the forces of AI and machine learning as in energy,” said Marc Spieler, Head of Global Energy Business Development at NVIDIA. “With AI, we now have the technology to deploy an intelligent energy grid that is more reliable, secure, and efficient – and in collaboration with Utilidata and PGE, NVIDIA is working to create an intelligent energy infrastructure for a sustainable future, expanding our work in Oregon.” 

PGE’s Smart Grid Test Bed is a community-driven approach to managing energy use and demand to accelerate the clean energy transition. The test bed spans three neighborhoods with over 20,000 participating customers who are incentivized to use smart-home technologies, such as thermostats, water heaters, EV chargers, and batteries, to gain better control over their energy use and carbon footprint while helping PGE operate the grid more efficiently.

About Utilidata
Utilidata is a technology company bringing distributed artificial intelligence (AI) to the edge of the electric grid to accelerate decarbonization and better serve utility customers. The company’s smart grid chip, powered by NVIDIA, is the utility industry’s first scalable distributed AI solution, and provides an open, future-proof platform for grid operations. For more information, visit utilidata.com or follow @Utilidata on Twitter.


Artificial Intelligence

Amp Finalises Commercial Agreements for Cape Hardy Advanced Fuels Precinct

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ADELAIDE, Australia, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Amp Energy (“Amp” or the “Company”) announced today it has finalised all required commercial agreements for the development of the Cape Hardy Advanced Fuels Precinct – one of the leading green hydrogen, green ammonia and advanced fuel projects in Australia. The agreements, which were executed with Iron Road Ltd, include the purchase of a 630-hectare parcel of land at Cape Hardy as well as finalised royalty structure and common user infrastructure agreement. Amp will continue to build upon development progress made since announcing the Strategic Framework Agreement with Iron Road Ltd in April 2023 to bring advanced fuel production capacity to Cape Hardy.

The Cape Hardy Advanced Fuels Precinct will provide production at scale with up to 10 GW of planned electrolyser capacity. Development will be structured to initially bring 1 GW online with incremental stages to reach 10 GW of total capacity.   The project will both cater to the domestic Australian market, supporting the Australian Government’s net zero goals, while also featuring global export capabilities.  To facilitate distribution, Cape Hardy will be equipped with Australia’s first purpose-built advanced fuels export terminal.   
Amp has been in discussions to develop the Cape Hardy Advanced Fuels precinct, in collaboration with Iron Road Ltd and The Government of South Australia, for the past two years. During that time, Amp has made significant development progress.  The project’s concept, design, and pre-Front End Engineering Design (FEED) phase have been studied and reviewed by two leading global engineering firms, Arup and Technip Technologies, as Amp targets completion of pre-FEED studies for the first 1 GW electrolyser phase over the next 9 months. FEED scoping and contracting is currently underway ahead of awarding the FEED contract in late 2024 or early 2025.
Desalinated water is to be sourced from the recently announced Northern Water Supply (NWS) seawater desalination plant that will be located at Cape Hardy to meet the project’s demand for electrolyser feed water, cooling water, process plant water, and fire water. Amp is co-funding pre-FID expenditures for the NWS project.
Additionally, Amp is working closely with the Barngarla Determination Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC (“BDAC”).  With continued support from the BDAC, Amp is confident the Cape Hardy Advanced Fuels Precinct will have a meaningful economic impact on the region.  Amp currently estimates this will include approximately 4,000 direct and 6,000 indirect jobs for the first gigawatt of electrolyser capacity alone.
“We are seeing growing demand for Advanced Fuels both in Australia and abroad. This includes green ammonia, liquid hydrogen, methanol, and sustainable aviation fuel. The Cape Hardy Advanced Fuels Precinct will allow for large-scale production of these fuels that will be critical to the energy transition and achieving net zero targets. We could not be more excited about the project’s potential impact, and we are grateful for the partnership and continued support from Iron Road Ltd, the South Australian Government and BDAC as we progress full steam ahead on development” said Paul Ezekiel, Amp President and Co-founder.
Minister for Trade and Investment, Joe Szakacs said “The State Government recognises the strategic importance of the Cape Hardy Advanced Fuels Precinct attracting investment into the state for domestic and export opportunities, as there is an increasing flight to quality for hydrogen projects worldwide.”
About AmpAmp Energy is a global energy transition development platform, which delivers renewables, battery storage, Advanced Fuels and green AI data centers at scale, together with proprietary AI-enabled grid flexibility through its Amp X platform. Since its inception 15 years ago, Amp has developed and built or contracted 14 GW of assets globally. Amp is backed by major investments from institutional capital partners including global private equity firm the Carlyle Group, who has invested over US$440 million. The company has global operations throughout North America, the UK, Australia, Japan, and Spain.
For more information, please visit amp.energy

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Artificial Intelligence

GEEKOM A8 AI PC is now available for €799 and up.

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TAIPEI, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The GEEKOM A8, a highly anticipated Next-Gen AI mini PC with an AMD HawkPoint Ryzen 8040 processor, is now available.

The A8 employs a metal housing with rounded corners and anodized matte finish, giving it a gorgeous and stylish look. Having a footprint smaller than the palm of a hand, the mini PC will conveniently fit in all types of desktop arrangement and instantly elevate the aesthetics of any workspace.
There are two variants of the GEEKOM A8, users have the option to choose between two processors from the same AMD HawkPoint family: Ryzen 7 8845HS and Ryzen 9 8945HS. Both chips feature 8 Zen 4 CPU cores, 16 threads, 16MB L3 cache, an AMD Radeon 780M integrated GPU as well as a Ryzen AI Engine NPU, but the Ryzen 9 8945HS is designed to offer slightly better performance, thanks to its higher CPU and GPU frequencies.
With a greatly enhanced NPU, the A8 can execute 60% more AI workloads than mini PCs with last-generation Ryzen 7040 chips, allowing users to embrace a new era of AI computing. For average consumers, the A8 will quickly find answers to all questions and turn texts into images and videos. For business users, the A8 will automatically summarize notes, transcribe calls, and take meeting minutes. For professional content creators, the A8 will bring much faster AI-powered photo editing, quicker video output, and speedier multi-tasking, helping bring the most ambitious ideas to life. With the new IceBlast 1.5 cooling technology, the A8 can stay cool and stable even when tasks are loaded.
Besides its powerful performance, the A8 also offers a wide array of ports, including four USB-A (including three USB3.2 Gen2), two HDMI2.0, a 40Gbps USB4, a multi-function Type-C, an SDXC slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Users can choose to connect the mini PC to an eGPU, ultra high-speed portable storage, or up to four 4K displays.
The A8 is now available on GEEKOM’s independent website. The 8845HS and 8945HS variants are priced at €799 and €949 respectively. Regardless of the CPU option, each unit is preinstalled with 32GB dual-channel SO-DIMM DDR5-5600 RAM, a fast 1TB M.2 2280 PCIe4.0*4 SSD, a wireless card that supports WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, and a licensed copy of Windows 11 operating system.
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Artificial Intelligence

AI-exposed sectors experience productivity surge as AI jobs climb and see up to 25% wage premium: PwC 2024 Global AI Jobs Barometer

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Sectors more exposed to AI are experiencing almost fivefold (4.8x) greater labour productivity growth (‘AI exposed’ means AI can readily be used for some tasks)Postings for AI jobs are growing 3.5x faster than for all jobs. For every AI job posting in 2012, there are now seven job postingsJobs that require AI skills carry up to a 25% wage premium in some marketsAI-driven spike in productivity could allow many nations to break out of persistent low productivity growth, generating economic development, higher wages, and enhanced living standardsSkills sought by employers are changing at a 25% higher rate in occupations most exposed to AI. To stay relevant in these occupations, workers will need to demonstrate or acquire new skillsLONDON, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Sectors more exposed to AI are experiencing almost five times (4.8x) higher growth in labour productivity, according to PwC’s inaugural 2024 Global AI Jobs Barometer, published today.

The report, which analysed over half a billion job ads from 15 countries, suggests that AI could allow many nations to break out of persistent low productivity growth, generating economic development, higher wages, and enhanced living standards.
The report finds that for every job posting requiring AI specialist skills (i.e., machine learning) in 2012, there are now seven job postings.[1] PwC research also finds that growth in jobs demanding AI skills has outpaced all jobs since 2016, with postings for jobs requiring AI skills growing 3.5x faster than for all jobs.
The findings also highlight economic opportunity for labour forces: jobs that require AI skills carry up to a 25% average wage premium in some markets.
Skills sought by employers are changing much faster in occupations more exposed to AI, with old skills disappearing – and new skills appearing – in job ads at a 25% higher rate than in occupations less exposed to AI. To stay relevant in these occupations, workers will need to demonstrate or acquire new skills.
As questions abound around the technology’s impact on everything from job security to long-term business viability, the findings highlight positive news, even for workers in sectors most exposed to AI. The findings also reflect a good news story for workers and the global economy in which AI-enabled workers are more productive and more valuable, opening the door to rising prosperity for workers and nations.
Carol Stubbings, Global Markets and Tax & Legal Services (TLS) Leader, PwC UK, says:
“AI is transforming the labour market globally and presents good news for a global economy hindered by deep economic challenges and concerns around long-term business viability. For many economies experiencing labour shortages and low productivity growth, the findings highlight optimism around AI with the technology representing an opportunity for economic development, job-creation, and the creation of new industries entirely. However, the findings show that workers will need to build new skills and organisations will need to invest in their AI strategies and people if they are to turbocharge their development and ensure they are fit for the AI age.”
Near fivefold productivity growth in sectors more exposed to AI
The findings paint a positive picture of the impact of AI on labour markets and productivity. Sectors most exposed to AI – financial services, information technology, and professional services – are experiencing nearly five times higher labour productivity growth than sectors less exposed to AI.[2]
Jobs that require AI skills carry significant wage premiums
Across the five major labour markets for which wage data is available (US, UK, Canada, Australia and Singapore), jobs that require AI specialist skills carry a significant wage premium (up to 25% on average in the US), underlining the value of these skills to companies. Across industries (in the US for example), this can range from 18% for accountants, 33% for financial analysts, 43% for sales and marketing managers, to 49% for lawyers. While the wage premium differs by market, overwhelmingly this is higher in all markets analysed.
AI penetration is accelerating, particularly in knowledge work sectors
The study finds that knowledge work sectors are seeing the most rapid growth in the share of roles requiring AI skills. This includes financial services (2.8x higher share of jobs requiring AI skills vs other sectors), professional services (3x higher), and information & communication (5x higher).[3]
No going back to yesterday’s jobs markets: the skills building imperative
Companies, workers, and policymakers share responsibility for helping workers build the skills to succeed in a fast-changing jobs market. Skills demanded by employers in occupations more exposed to AI are changing at a 25% higher rate than in less exposed occupations. 69% of CEOs expect AI will require new skills from their workforce, rising to 87% of CEOs who have already deployed AI, according to PwC’s 27th Annual Global CEO Survey 2024. 
Pete Brown, Global Workforce Leader, PwC UK, adds:
“Businesses and governments around the world will need to ensure they are adequately investing in the skills required for both their people and organisations if they are to thrive in a global economy and labour market being transformed by AI. Equally, there is tremendous opportunity for people, organisations, and economies with expertise in new and emerging technologies such as AI. Ensuring a skills-first approach to recruitment as well as continued investment in workforce upskilling is imperative as no industry or market will remain immune to the impact of AI’s technological and economic transformation.”
Scott Likens, Global AI and Innovation Technology Leader, PwC US, concluded:
“AI provides much more than efficiency gains. AI offers fundamentally new ways of creating value. In our work with clients, we see companies using AI to amplify the value their people can deliver. We don’t have enough software developers, doctors, or scientists to create all the code, healthcare, and scientific breakthroughs the world needs. There is a nearly limitless demand for many things if we can improve our ability to deliver them – and limitless opportunity for organisations and individuals that invest in learning and applying the technology.”
Notes to Editors:
About the PwC 2024 Global AI Jobs Barometer
PwC’s new Global AI Jobs Barometer uses half a billion job ads from 15 countries to examine AI’s impact on jobs, skills, wages, and productivity. Analysing data from the past decade and across a large number of sectors, the report provides insight on AI job penetration, salary premiums, vacancy rates and more. The report will be presented at the VivaTech Summit in Paris by PwC global leaders.
About PwC
© 2024 PwC. All rights reserved. PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see http://www.pwc.com/structure for further details. 
[1] Refers to six of the fifteen countries analysed: US, UK, Singapore, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.[2] Due to the availability of OECD data, PwC analysis focused on just these six sectors profiled for the period 2018-2022 (2023 data has not yet been released).[3] Other sectors include: Agriculture, Mining, Power, Water, Retail Trade, Transportation, Accomodation, Real Estate, Administrative, Arts and Entertainment, Household Activities, Construction, Manufacturing, Education and Social Activities and ExtraCurricular Activities.
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