A joint research agreement was signed between Mahindra Ecole Centrale, Hyderabad with Ground Inc., the leader in the field of Logitech. The focus of research will be on the application of AI Semi-conductor Field Programmable Gate Arrays in the field of logistics. The FGPAs are integrated circuits that can be re-written after manufacturing.      

In recent years, FGPAs have attracted a lot of attention as AI semiconductor solutions. GROUND and MEC will conduct this research to develop Dynamic Allocation System®” (DyAS), the logistics AI software which GROUND is currently working on.   

With electronic commerce(eCom) developing into social infrastructure that supports people’s lives due to the widespread adoption of Internet-based purchases, flea market apps and so on, the volume of transactions has increased, while the diversification of consumer purchasing experiences has also accelerated due to the concurrence of brick-and-mortar and eCom stores.

As a result, the role of logistics in supporting eCom behind the scenes to ensure that products are delivered accurately and without delay has also been forced to change. This has created a growing need to optimize distribution warehouses to handle small-lot, high-frequency deliveries and immediate deliveries, and to optimize complex combinations of various factors involved with purchasing scenarios and distribution sites in ways that are tailored to consumer needs.

As a solution to help solve these challenges, GROUND is pursuing the development of the DyAS®, AI logistics software, which is designed to optimize and adjust inventory arrangement and resources (people, robots, etc.) within a warehouse. GROUND is now focusing on FPGAs as the semiconductor solutions to perform high-speed processing of the AI deep learning that is at the core of DyAS®. Mahindra Ecole Centrale will promote the applications for basic research for DyAS®.

Takatsugu Kobayashi, General Manager, Chief Digital Officer, Head of Global Innovation, GROUND Inc. speaking on the association said, “We are delighted that we have the opportunity to work with Mahindra Ecole Centrale on joint research into speeding up the processing of combination optimization using FPGAs. This joint research is an endeavor of profound significance to apply FPGAs. The practical utilization of it is still in its infancy, for the fields of logistics and distribution.”