28.02.2025: 9:00 - 15:30

Hier geht es zur Registrierung für den gesamten Industrietag (Fr). Die Teilnahme an der Session 2 (14:00 - 15:30) ist für alle Interessierten kostenfrei ohne Anmeldung möglich.

Keynote
Roland Weiss & Benedikt Schmidt: Software engineering of industrial systems for critical infrastructure - past, present, and future

Audimax-2, Building 30.95, 09:15 - 10:25

Building and maintaining industrial systems comes with a unique set of challenges. They have to live over extended periods of time, meet stringent reliability and safety standards, have to deal with budgets in low-margin industries, and need to adapt to modern expectations on ease- of-use and fast innovation. In this keynote, we will elaborate on how ABB deals with these competing forces. First, we introduce ABB and the systems we are delivering to our customers, including the typical lifecycle phases they go through. Second, we reflect on the last 2 decades of industrial research that has been conducted to support the product development units. Third, we show the fundamental shifts these systems are going through right now and highlight challenges we face as practitioners. Finally, we conclude with an example of an application that leverages ML/AI to elevate the operator prowess and a look under the hood of the development of this application.

Vita: Dr. Benedikt Schmidt is a key driver of ABB's process automation activities towards autonomous operations, working as product owner for the Augmented Operator portfolio and Senior Principal Engineer. He joined ABB in 2015, focusing on research and development of ABB's data analytics practices and bringing them to our products. Before joining ABB, Benedikt worked at SAP's research center. He holds a PhD from Technical University of Darmstadt.
Dr. Roland Weiss globally leads ABB's process automation R&D activities, covering a portfolio of control and IO hardware, embedded and safety systems, DCS automation software as well as IIoT middleware and applications. He joined ABB in 2005 and has held various R&D management positions, focusing on research on and development of ABB's automation systems in markets including power generation as well as robot and industrial automation. As part of a dedicated task force, he contributed to kick-starting ABB’s Digital unit. Before joining ABB, Roland Weiss headed a research team in the area of Formal Methods at University of Tübingen. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from University of Tübingen.

Session 1

SR A+B, Building 30.95

Synthetic Data and Small Language Models: Privacy-Optimized AI for Electric Vehicles

11:00 - 11:45 - Alexandra Wins & Benedikt Heidrich (Mercedes-Benz)

As electric vehicles become more software-centric, AI-driven features increasingly shape the driving experience—from adaptive navigation to proactive diagnostics—yet they often rely on vast amounts of sensitive data. In this session, we will explore two complementary strategies to address these challenges: first, how synthetic data generated or augmented via Large Language Models and statistical methods empowers developers to train, fine-tune, and validate automotive systems without exposing real user information. Second, we will examine how Small Language Models (SLMs) can serve as function-calling agents in vehicles, offering a flexible and robust alternative to traditional rule-based systems. By applying compression techniques such as pruning, healing, and quantization to architectures like Microsoft’s Phi-3 mini, these compact models fit within hardware constraints yet retain the capacity to handle complex tasks efficiently. Together, these approaches pave the way for personalized yet privacy-compliant innovations that accelerate development in the evolving electric vehicle landscape.

Moving Towards AI Operational Readiness: A Practical Enterprise Transformation

11:45 - 12:30 - Tobias Velke (DATEV), Wolfgang Frank (arconsis)

Scaling AI from a prototype level to an enterprise solution involves complex challenges. This talk will share practical insights on how to navigate the journey of transforming a large company towards AI Operational Readiness (AIOR). We will discuss critical aspects such as strategic technology choices and organizational alignment. Drawing from our experience, we will offer real-world examples of overcoming hurdles in scaling AI, focusing on the broader scope of enterprise transformation. Attendees will gain actionable insights into balancing technology choices, managing sensitive data, building cross-functional teams, and establishing strong governance—all essential steps in making AI a reliable and valuable asset across the organization.

Vita: Tobias Velke is leading the AIOR program at DATEV, focused on bridging technological and organizational gaps and responsible for providing an end-to-end perspective to achieve AI operational readiness across the organization. Wolfgang Frank is an executive partner at arconsis with extensive experience in consulting IT organizations for complex and challenging endeavors. He specializes in delivering strategic and platform architectural perspectives on AI@Scale initiatives.

Session 2

SR A+B, Building 30.95

AI Survival Guide (Software Developer Edition): Wie man sich von KI nicht über den Tisch ziehen lässt

14:00 - 14:45 - Rüdiger zu Dohna (codecentric AG)

Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) hat in den letzten Jahren immense Fortschritte gemacht, die niemand vorhergesehen hat, und die Arbeitswelt auch in der Software-Entwicklung nachhaltig verändern. Zwar ist dieser Sprung eigentlich schon vorüber, er hat aber Investitionen unvorstellbaren Ausmaßes angestoßen, sodass es auch weiterhin große Fortschritte geben wird. Ein Ende ist erst dann abzusehen, wenn die Energiekosten höher sind, als die Kosten, um Menschen mit vergleichbaren Fähigkeiten zu bezahlen.

Der Vortrag stellt zentrale Fragen in den Raum: Wenn KIs neue Talente bereits zu Beginn ihrer Karriere ersetzen können, wie kann dann der Nachwuchs in der Software-Branche gefördert werden? Ist es sinnvoll, Begriffe wie „Reasoning“ zur Beschreibung kognitiver Prozesse bei KIs zu nutzen? Oder führt das zu sehr zu einer Vermenschlichung und Überhöhung der Technologie, und darüber zu neuen Ängsten und Unsicherheiten? Müssen wir nicht unweigerlich zu einer gesamtgesellschaftlichen Reflexion über unsere kognitiven Fähigkeiten kommen?

Künstliche Intelligenz im Produkt Management - Wie KI bereits heute die Produktentwicklung verändert

14:45 - 15:30 - Mustafa Yilmaz (andrena objects AG)

KI revolutioniert die Produktentwicklung – doch was bedeutet das konkret für Produktverantwortliche und Produktentwickelnde? In diesem Vortrag entdecken wir, wie Large Language Models die Spielregeln verändern: vom Innovationsprozess bis hin zu völlig neuen Produkten. Mit praxisnahen Einblicken zeigen wir, welche Chancen und Herausforderungen KI für die Zukunft unserer Arbeit bringt.

Vita: Mustafa Yilmaz ist Standortleiter und verantwortlich für das Consulting am Standort Mannheim bei der andrena objects ag, einem Softwareentwicklungs- und Beratungshaus. Nach seinem Informatikstudium am Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) sammelte er mehr als 15 Jahre Erfahrung in der Beratung von Unternehmen zur Professionalisierung der Software-Produktentwicklung sowie in der Begleitung von Organisations- und Transformationsprozessen mit. Seit 2023 liegt sein Schwerpunkt auf der strategischen Einführung und dem gezielten Einsatz von Künstlicher Intelligenz, insbesondere im Bereich des Produktmanagements und der digitalen Transformation von Unternehmen.