A maritime technology company has been awarded an Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) grant to advance machine learning in the maritime sector.

AI technology

Silverstream Technologies and the University of Southampton have been awarded a KTP grant Photo: Silverstream Technologies

Silverstream Technologies, in collaboration with the University of Southampton has been awarded the KTP grant. The two-year partnership will see an Associate of the University of Southampton work with Silverstream’s technical team to develop machine learning and artificial intelligence within the Silverstream System’s control and automation module.

“There is an increasing amount of data coming from in-operation installations of the Silverstream System that can be used for performance prediction and optimisation, requiring us, as clean technology leaders, to develop new expertise to master and understand this vast source of potential improvement,” said Noah Silberschmidt, chief executive of Silverstream Technologies.

"This KTP grant marks the next step on this journey, allowing us to work with the world’s leading researchers at the University of Southampton and The Alan Turing Institute to accelerate machine learning within shipping, ultimately enabling us to bring about a more efficient and more sustainable maritime sector,” he added.

The Silverstream System uses air lubrication to reduce frictional resistance between a vessel’s hull and the water and delivers fuel savings of 5-10%. The KTP will aim to increase this saving by analysing operational data taken from installed systems and will ultimately serve as a testbed for advancing machine learning and artificial intelligence within maritime.

KTPs are funded by UKRI through Innovate UK with the support of co-founders, including the Scottish Funding Council, Welsh Government, Invest Northern Ireland, Defra and BEIS.

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