GHD Digital Launches AI Center of Excellence To Accelerate Innovation

The CoE team combines GHD's deep industry expertise with state-of-the-art AI technology and data science supporting energy, water, communities, and transport markets 

HOUSTON, June 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GHD Digital, a leading global digital transformation business, today announces the launch of its Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center of Excellence (CoE). The CoE is designed to empower clients to harness the full potential of AI and related technologies, building on extensive research, testing, and trialling in this space.

The architecture, engineering, and construction industry has been slow to adopt digital technologies, opting to focus on physical assets and complex, labor-intensive processes. However, in the last few years, there has been a growing pressure of using advanced analytics to connect people, processes, data, and assets. This digital transformation has been accelerated by new advancements in areas such as generative AI, which can sift through vast amounts of data, identify and explain patterns, suggest creative ideas, generate insights, and provide recommendations.

"The launch of the AI CoE demonstrates our unwavering commitment to help our clients address complex challenges. Leveraging recent advancements in advance analytics and AI, our clients will gain the accelerated benefits of AI to drive innovation, improve operational efficiency, and enhance customer experience, as well as manage risks in this rapidly evolving field," said Kumar Parakala, President, GHD Digital.

The CoE, a team of over 40 specialists, helps clients better understand the benefits and risks of using AI technologies and fast-tracking their use of AI to provide value for their customers, people and communities. The advanced algorithms developed by the team generate and mine data from documents, voice recordings, photographs and videos using unique language processing and computer vision to unearth valuable insights and contextual details.

Working with GHD's industry experts, GHD Digital's AI team has already applied AI technology to help multiple municipalities, energy clients, water utilities and technology companies in areas including citizen engagement, safe water and waste management. Recognizing these capabilities, the team recently won the Australian Information Industry Association's iAward for a project that helped a government agency reduce transport scenario planning time from three days to less than three minutes.

"We expect the CoE not only to increase awareness through thought leadership, but to assist in addressing some of the world's most complex challenges related to water quality, climate change and environmental justice. AI alone cannot move businesses and society forward. The value is in the powerful combination of human thinking and AI – which is what our AI CoE in conjunction with our GHD technical experts offer," added Parakala.

About GHD Digital
GHD Digital is GHD's digital transformation business, dedicated to helping clients unlock innovation, embrace the future and change communities for good. Our diverse and talented team of more than 600 people include data scientists, design thinkers, immersive digital consultants, project managers and innovators. With the combined global and local expertise of GHD's 11,000 engineering, advisory, architectural, environmental and construction experts, we help navigate and solve complex challenges with advanced technology.

About GHD
GHD is a leading professional services company operating in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. Committed to a vision to make water, energy and communities sustainable for generations to come, GHD delivers advisory, digital, engineering, architecture, environmental and construction solutions to public and private sector clients.

SOURCE GHD Digital