AI Innovation Lab will boost Wisconsin’s tech ecosystem
Artificial Intelligence — AI — is having a transformational impact on Wisconsin’s manufacturing industry.
The state is at an incredible juncture when it comes to AI. In May, Microsoft announced it is building a $3.3 billion data center in Racine County. As part of that investment, Microsoft plans to create an AI Co-Innovation Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. also committed a $500,000 grant to assist TitletownTech with opening an office at the lab. The intention is to create a technology hub that serves the whole state.
“The opportunities for new businesses are tremendous. If you’re starting a new business, you’ll want to start it in the Badger State,” said Shayna Hoetzel, the WEDC’s vice president of entrepreneurship and innovation.
A partnership between Microsoft and the Green Bay Packers, TitletownTech is a venture capital firm headquartered in Green Bay. TitletownTech hosted a program earlier this month that looked at the impact the AI Co-Innovation Lab would have on the state. The event was sponsored by the NEW Launch Alliance, powered by New North, Inc., the NEW Digital Alliance, the Wisconsin Technology Council and TitletownTech.
“The pace of change with technology is incredible. When we opened TitletownTech just a little more than five years ago, we knew about AI but look at how it’s grown,” said TitletownTech managing partner Craig Dickman. “The progress we’re making in the state when it comes to technology is amazing, and we have an incredible opportunity to be on the leading edge.”
The AI Co-Innovation Lab at UW-Milwaukee is Microsoft’s seventh innovation lab and the only one located on a university campus, said Michelle Schuler, Microsoft’s TechSpark U.S. Program Manager and New North board member.
“It’s also the only one not located on a Coast — it’s right here in the Upper Midwest,” she said. “We’re all coming together to make sure Wisconsin isn’t left behind as new technology continues to move forward.”
The AI Co-Innovation Lab, which will open next year, is an extension of the Connected Systems Institute at UW-Milwaukee. CSI works with manufacturers on workforce training and advanced research. The WEDC pledged $500,000 to the CSI to help with upgrades to accommodate the lab.
CSI Executive Director Joe Hamann said Microsoft experts will help design and prototype AI and cloud solutions for manufacturers at the lab, helping manufacturers improve and accelerate their work.
“The lab will not only strengthen UWM’s education and research mission and provide new opportunities for its students, it will connect Wisconsin manufacturers and other companies with Microsoft’s AI’s experts and developers,” he said.
TitletownTech principal Kathryn Clouse said being a part of the AI Co-Innovation Lab and having an office on a university campus are wonderful opportunities.
“We’ll be able to amplify everything we’re doing while bringing in new technology,” she said.
By utilizing AI, Schuler said there’s no better time for entrepreneurs, manufacturers and others to innovate.
“With AI, we are learning so fast. There’s continuous learning and innovation going on and the lab will allow us to do that even more,” she said. “There’s really going to be a lot of cool things coming out of Wisconsin.”
Hamann shared an example of how the lab will work. He said a plant manager may have a goal to improve efficiency using AI. He said the manufacturer would bring in someone from their team or a consultant who will sit with a Microsoft team member to create a code to handle a back-office function and improve overall efficiency. Once the code is complete, it is solely owned by the manufacturer.
The focus on manufacturing for the AI Co-Innovation Lab makes sense, Schuler said since Wisconsin has such a strong manufacturing base.
“We make things here in Wisconsin. The state is home to 9,000 manufacturers,” she said. “Implementing AI into manufacturing will help them become more productive and improve the state’s overall economy.”
Beyond helping manufacturers, the lab will also create opportunities for students to gain valuable skills. Hamann said students will be able to see what the manufacturers and Microsoft are working on together, while manufacturers will see the work being done by UWM students. “Can you imagine a better internship?” he said.
Clouse said the lab will reverse the trend of Wisconsin innovators and entrepreneurs leaving so they can continue to grow their businesses or ideas.
“We have the convergence of this amazing tech ecosystem here… people are going to come to Wisconsin to grow their businesses and ideas,” she said. “Wisconsin will become a magnet for talent as we put this powerful technology to use. We are only one of three states to have a lab like this and the only one focused on manufacturing.”
Schuler said the conversations happening in Wisconsin with innovation, entrepreneurship and technology are far ahead of what is happening in other states.
“So much is happening here. TitletownTech is not just a building. It’s an innovative way to work together and help start-ups grow. The talent and ideas coming out of the CSI are amazing and now we’re going to add a massive new data center in southeast Wisconsin along with the co-innovation lab — people are going to come here,” she said. “We are not only creating jobs with the data center and the lab but there are also jobs being created by our own start-ups who will benefit from the lab.”
Mary Beth Matzek
Owner, 1BizzyWriter
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