General Electric and Intel JV to build 21st century intelligent trains
Intel and GE Transportation have launched "superbrain" technology, designed to make train transportation smarter, safer and more efficient. According to the two companies, it will use data analytics and mobile technology to turn trains into "mobile data headquarters" that can gather information to improve transport operations, horsepower, emissions rates and fuel efficiency. The platform, called GoLINC, is being used in over 6,000 locomotives and is powered by Intel's 6th generation Intel Core i7 processor. Intel and GE Transportation say the platform paves the way for future industrial solutions.

GE Transportation

Intel and GE Transportation have introduced "superbrain" technology to make our trains and city transport smarter, safer, and more efficient.

On Monday, the companies announced the launch of the platform at the InnoTrans 2016 conference in Berlin, Germany.

According to GE Transportation and Intel, the "superbrain" platform pushes trains and locomotive transport into the future through data analytics and mobile technology.

By harnessing Big Data and mobility, trains are transformed into "mobile data headquarters" in which operators can utilize gathered information to improve transport operation, horsepower, emissions rates, and fuel efficiency.

The platform, dubbed GoLINC, is now being used as the "brain of the train" in over 6,000 locomotives today. The network, communication, and application management system now works with both onboard and off-board GE and third-party software packages to make up the platform-as-a-service (PaaS) Predix framework, already used by a variety of industrial machines for data collection and analysis.

GoLINC is powered by Intel's 6th generation Intel Core i7 processor.

See also: Intel launches 7th generation processors to push 4K UHD to the masses

Intel and GE Transportation say the platform will allow for better data management and video analytics in the transport industry and will pave the way for future industrial solutions to be developed using GoLINC.

"Our partnership delivers the most advanced connectivity across the rail industry to create a smarter rail ecosystem," says GE Transportation CEO Jamie Miller. "It enables operators to transfer data, host applications and interface with third-party systems, and can boost operational productivity."

The partnership is not the only example of companies interested in pursuing the smart transport market. Billionaire and entrepreneur Elon Musk's vision of the Hyperloop -- a propulsion transport system which will deliver passengers from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 35 minutes -- is pushing ahead, with the executive's firm Hyperloop One recently securing $80 million in a new funding round.

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