CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world and Fathom, an Aberdeen subsea, offshore structural engineering and software firm, have joined forces to create a secure Internet of Things (IoT) platform which transforms how data generated in real time from offshore windfarm assets can be integrated with digital twin software to generate actionable insights on asset performance. CGI leveraged its digital IT and business advisory services expertise to create the platform for Fathom. The solution will enable more efficient operations and maintenance decisions, improve asset life prediction, and feed into future design improvements.
Richard McGowan, MD of Fathom, said: “CGI has provided us with a secure IoT platform which represents a major building block in our cutting-edge digital twin solution for offshore windfarms. This solution enables huge volumes of data to be stored securely and processed efficiently, allowing our system to deliver actionable insights to the asset management teams and asset owners long-term. This project was also part-funded by Scottish Enterprise, who recognised the value to the industry. With 30% of total lifetime costs of offshore windfarms attributed to operations and maintenance activities, this technology can take a significant step towards reducing the levelized cost of energy for this sector as well as improving the viability of offshore wind projects, which are major enablers in meeting global net zero targets. We are excited to continue this partnership with CGI, as their global expertise in building secure data platforms is a core requirement, alongside Fathom’s subject matter expertise, in delivering this technology to the highly critical energy market we serve.”
Richard Sadler, Vice President Consulting Delivery at CGI, said: “Digital twins are an exciting and ground-breaking way of transforming the energy sector, in particular offshore windfarms. This new, secure IoT platform provides the invaluable real-time data that can leverage transformation through rapid collection, analysis and interaction with data. Fathom are subject matter experts in this field, and this platform is very much in line with CGI’s approach to developing big data solutions which in the future will be capable of generating tangible business outcomes, whilst operating under our responsible AI framework.”
The platform allows users to collect real-time data from sensors on offshore windfarm assets and structures, for further processing through Fathom’s proprietary algorithms, developed by their team of subject matter experts. The data collected and processed can then be called up on Fathom’s web-based software which includes a structural 3d-displayer and dashboards. The updates to the cloud and web-based platforms, also supported by CGI, have been a significant step forward in Fathom’s Digital Twin software. CGI’s experts worked with Fathom to define the correct platform infrastructure for their needs and supported them in understanding how to make best use of the technology stack deployed. These efforts provided the computational efficiency needed to achieve near real-time processing.
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