Hitachi Adopts NVIDIA Tech to Power Railway Operations with AI

Hitachi Rail leverages NVIDIA AI for railway innovation: The global transportation company is integrating NVIDIA’s IGX platform to enhance railway operations, reduce maintenance costs, and improve energy efficiency.

Transforming railway operations with real-time analysis: Hitachi Rail’s new HMAX platform, powered by NVIDIA IGX, processes sensor and camera data in real-time, enabling swift detection of maintenance needs and infrastructure issues.

• The HMAX platform allows for immediate identification of train tracks requiring repair, monitoring of overhead power line degradation, and assessment of train and signaling equipment health.
• Real-time analysis aims to further reduce service delays, decrease train maintenance costs, and cut energy consumption at train depots.
• Proactive maintenance, facilitated by this technology, is estimated to cost about seven times less than emergency repairs following unexpected infrastructure failures.

Significant improvements in railway efficiency: Hitachi Rail’s existing AI monitoring systems have already demonstrated substantial benefits for railway operations.

• Service delays have been reduced by up to 20%.
• Train maintenance costs have decreased by up to 15%.
• Energy consumption has been cut by reducing fuel costs at train depots by up to 40%.

NVIDIA IGX: Powering the real-time AI engine: Hitachi Rail has leveraged NVIDIA IGX and the NVIDIA AI Enterprise software platform to develop accelerated AI applications for enhanced monitoring of train fleets and infrastructure.

• The HMAX platform currently processes data from 8,000 train cars on 2,000 trains.
• NVIDIA AI Enterprise provides tools, pretrained models, and application frameworks to streamline the development and deployment of production-grade AI applications.
• These applications will soon be available through the HMAX platform for Hitachi Rail’s international customer base.

Data-driven insights for railway operators: The integration of NVIDIA technology enables Hitachi Rail to process and analyze vast amounts of sensor data in real-time.

• In the UK, each Hitachi Rail train reports nearly 50,000 data points as frequently as every fifth of a second.
• Real-time AI infrastructure can send timely alerts to train operators when maintenance is needed for train components or rail lines.
• A chatbot interface allows operators to easily identify trends and optimize maintenance schedules.

Expanding beyond train and track monitoring: Hitachi Rail is exploring additional applications of this technology to further improve railway operations.

• Cameras mounted atop trains can monitor overhead power lines to identify degrading electric cables and prevent disruptive failures.
• NVIDIA-accelerated sensor processing enables real-time data processing at the edge, significantly reducing the time required to analyze video data collected by trains.

Looking ahead: The future of AI-powered railways: The integration of NVIDIA’s AI technology into Hitachi Rail’s operations marks a significant step forward in the modernization of railway systems.

• This technology has the potential to revolutionize how railway operators approach maintenance, scheduling, and energy management.
• As the system continues to evolve and gather more data, it may lead to even greater efficiencies and cost savings in the future.
• The success of this implementation could pave the way for wider adoption of AI technologies in the transportation sector, potentially transforming public transit systems worldwide.