Vertical: Innovation Hub
Application: Predictive maintenance, AI-based safety monitoring, digital assistants, energy-efficient automation
Ecosystem: Nokia, Datwyler IT Infra, Intel
Private Network: 5G
Nokia has partnered with Datwyler IT Infra, Intel, and the Switzerland Innovation Park Biel/Bienne to establish an industrial testbed enabling startups and nonprofits to trial private 5G and AI-powered edge solutions without infrastructure costs. The facility accelerates industrial digitalization through advanced connectivity and AI applications.
The hub features Nokia’s Digital Automation Cloud private wireless networks, MX Industrial Edge platform, and Nokia MX Workmate, an operational technology-compliant generative AI solution for connected workers. Intel’s Xeon Scalable processors power edge AI capabilities including visual positioning, object detection, and real-time analytics.
Key applications include predictive maintenance to minimize downtime and material waste, AI-enhanced safety monitoring to improve situational awareness, and digital assistants enabling natural human-machine communication through conversational language. Energy-efficient automation maintains productivity while reducing environmental impact, while push-to-talk and video tools keep teams connected without site visits.
“We are aiming for the hub to attract global investment and support Swiss economic growth and digital leadership,” said Michael Wendling, co-lead of the Swiss Smart Factory at SIPBB. The initiative positions Switzerland as a testing ground for industrial technologies.
“The success of industrial digital transformation depends on how enterprises capture data, securely transport it, and bring AI closer for data analysis & decision making,” said Bhupesh Agrawal, general manager for private 5G and enterprise AI at Intel. The collaboration demonstrates how CPU-based AI inferencing can lower total cost of operation while enabling scalable enterprise edge solutions.
Michael Aspinall, head of Enterprise Campus Edge sales in Europe at Nokia, emphasized the democratization aspect: “We are supporting digital equity by enabling innovators to test future-ready solutions without upfront infrastructure costs to accelerate development, validate use cases, and scale digital transformation in the real world.”
