Rolls-Royce’s work to develop a hydrogen fuel system for aircraft propulsion has provided a new opportunity for Tata Consultancy Services to deploy its IT expertise to address complex aerospace challenges. On Monday, the Mumbai-based group said it is expanding its partnership with the engine maker to support its efforts to demonstrate the viability of hydrogen fuel, initially on a Pearl engine demonstrator.
According to Anupam Singhal, TCS’s president of manufacturing, the company has worked with Rolls-Royce since 2010, supporting the design of components, systems integration, and supply chain management. It also has engaged in manufacturing engineering, control systems, and software, as well as improving aftermarket product support.
Ongoing supply chain difficulties throughout the aerospace and defense sectors have prompted TCS to apply its skills to help companies boost resiliency with its new Supply Chain Navigator platform.
“We can help them to access the issues they face and assess what inventory model they should apply to meet future needs,” Singhal told AIN. “We can assess both structured and unstructured information covering everything that could impact the supply chain, using artificial intelligence to understand the implications of local conditions that could include weather or political events.”
Increasingly, the TCS team is applying AI and quantum computing to support airlines, too, with tasks such as managing maintenance, repair and overhaul of fleets, and improving customer interactions. The company’s Smart Journeys tool provides synthetic data for pilots so that they have full visibility of weather conditions that could result in turbulence.
TCS also is focused on designing lightweight composite materials that could reduce aircraft weight and, by extension, fuel consumption. It is working on a proof of concept for this approach with an undisclosed aircraft manufacturer.