Here’s why GE Predix is a path-breaking innovation in progress

General Electric (GE) is a multinational conglomerate synonymous with light bulbs and refrigerators and Predix is a platform built for Industrial Internet. Now, let’s break it down for you with an example. Like all other machines, jet engines also collect dirt and corrosion and one need to wash it on a periodic basis to increase its efficiency. However, on one hand if you do it too often, it becomes unnecessarily expensive and on the other, if you wait too long, you burn more fuel which again becomes expensive. With Predix, you can precisely schedule the right time to wash your engine and save a lot of time and money. Predix is a platform for the Industrial Internet that backs up digital industrial businesses to balance global economy. We can visualize all kinds of graphical reports using Predix. It provides an sdk to communicate with machines and send their data on cloud.

Why did GE create Predix?

GE is transforming how we use data and analytics to drive better outcomes for the world. Predix gets its name from Predictive Capability. It is a software platform used for building and managing industrial internet application. It enables organizations across all industries to optimize assets and operations. GE created this platform to power a new generation of Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT). Built on Pivotal’s Cloud Foundry, Predix offers one architecture with the flexibility to bring together analytics, support machine intelligence and Big Data analytics from the smallest machines to the biggest clouds.

Lesser known core Predix mechanism

Predix has been transforming industrial apps at the edge and in the cloud. It is the ongoing phase of a decade long evolution of industrial automation. It started off with SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) that could control the efficiency and performance of high value industrial equipment. Now, Predix aims to create system wide optimization that was simply not possible before. The objective behind such an innovation is easy to figure out. If an industry can be made efficient by a fraction of a percentage, it can bring a profit of billions of dollars. Imagine the percentage of ROI a company will get upon receiving 5-10% improvement and efficiency!

Uses of Predix

Predix is used in sectors like healthcare, oil and gas, aviation, transportation and energy. Last year at the Hannover Messe 2016 conference, GE Digital launched its first commercial application that was programmed to offer a suite of Asset Performance Management (APM) applications. The app today monitors various range of industrial equipment. Predix can optimize the operations of individual machines. It can also create a digital twin of a real-life machines to compare discrepancies between how they actually operate in contrast to how they should be operating and save a lot of time in the process.

GE Predix Certification has its own rewards. This CGT developer explains why

Though released only a year back, GE’s Predix has emerged as a game changer for developers. This cloud-based operating system is expected to shape the future of all possible industries. Companies are training their developers to make them deepen their knowledge of the platform. 

Of the handful companies that have Predix certified developers, India’s CG Technosoft is a renowned name in the global software development industry that produced its first Predix certified developer. Here is an excerpt of the interview with PHP developer Durgesh Narayan.

Q: What motivated you to get a Predix certification?

A: Predix is our future and therefore the urge to become an expert on it was the basic instinct. I wanted to learn as much as I could about Predix’s services. Also, Predix is a comparatively newer concept and not many people are certified yet. It is always intriguing to gain additional insights than most other developers to be on top of the race.

Q: What is the difficulty level of this certification?

A: Pretty hard. Only a handful are able to crack this test.

Q: Have you been working with Predix?

A: Yes, of course. We have created three demos for HPE in Predix so far. For Germany, Santa Clara and one for Ale that happens to be an analytic location engine and a subdivision of HPE.

Q: What major problems do you feel can Predix solve in the coming years?

A: I see a huge opportunity in the development of smart cities. With intelligent lights when you hear gun shots, the local police can be automatically alerted. Also with the integration with AI, one can identify anticipated hazards on the road. From temperature-sensitive shipping in pharmaceuticals, smart refrigeration for grocers to embedded sensors for tracking fuel consumption, advancements are endless.

Q: Do you see any limitation of Predix?

A: Not all clouds are the same. Severe damage can be done if predix-run controllers are hacked. Predix applications should therefore, run with higher service level agreements for security and performance compared to the contemporary weak SLAs.

Q: What is the future of Predix?

A: Gone are the days, when you had to make a call with your physical phone handset wired to the wall. Similarly, when you have to detect something on a machine, you have to be present at the location and do the diagnostics. With predix, we can be freed in a similar way how smart phones moved us away from the old telephones. So, you get the future, right?

What’s in store for the future?

By 2020, GE predicts that 10,000 gas turbines, 68,000 jet engines, 152 million cars and 100 million light bulbs will be connected to the Internet. It is creating 500,000+ living digital twins of industrial machines at the moment. With India, GE has opened its largest digital hub in Bengaluru which will create an additional 1,000 tech positions. The center will deliver solutions for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) for its customers, making it easier for industrial companies to execute a strategic digital transformation to drive internal productivity. Predix will speed up new apps in the market and offer faster value for customers.