The davinci-1 supercomputer is the central architecture underlying Leonardo Innovation Labs’ ability to accelerate technological transformation towards the digitalisation of industry. It is an integrated supercomputing and cloud computing platform that combines flexibility and computing power, enabling the use of algorithms (from deep learning to Artificial Intelligence), customisation for the technological platform and the calculation of the countless interactions between the data generated (data analysis and big data). davinci-1 allows the development of predictive models with transversal use in all Leonardo’s business areas, representing a digitalisation enabler capable of improving product legacy and accelerating the diversification of new solutions.
Supercomputer davinci-1 – Genoa Torre Fiumara
davinci-1 is one of the most powerful HPCs in the Aerospace, Defence and Security sector globally. It can count on 200 servers installed at the Torre Fiumara site in Genoa, has 20 million gigabytes of memory and can perform up to 5 million billion floating point operations per second.
The transversality of Leonardo Innovation Labs and global technological trends
The activity of Leonardo Innovation Labs is based on a transversal structure, which integrates input from different “sources”: Leonardo’s own business units, external stakeholders, global technological trends. The focus is on tactical projects, i.e. projects linked to the “immediate” needs of the business areas, which aim to validate technologies already in the development phase and bring them to higher levels of maturity (measured by the Technology Readiness Level - TRL), moving, for example, from a TRL 3 or 4 to a TRL 5 or 6, and then transferring them again, at a later stage, to the engineering departments of the same business areas. Or it can concern beyond-the-horizon projects, with longer time horizons – up to 3-5 years – which involve work on technological innovations that are still at an early stage, and which must be developed up to higher TRLs (6 or 7) and made available for subsequent implementation.
The transversality of Leonardo Innovation Labs projects, both long-term and short-term, therefore translates into the ability to respond simultaneously to different operational and strategic needs. This characteristic is the result of a continuous and profitable interaction between the business areas and the laboratories: the former - often also among themselves - collaborate to define specific requirements to submit to the Labs; the latter, thanks to their expertise and acquired skills - also through real scouting activities - orient and "influence" the business areas, "proposing" the development of innovative technologies "intercepted" among the trends that cross global markets.
See All Project
Developed under the aegis of the Quantum Technology Lab, See All is linked to the use of quantum technologies on the imaging side, through the exploitation of the quantum correlation of photons, the so-called entanglement. In practice, the project deals with the creation of a system capable of "looking around the corner", using a "reflecting" wall and using two correlated photons, one emitted in the infrared spectrum and one in the visible light spectrum. The one emitted in the infrared reaches the lens and returns to the sensor, reflected by the wall: it is, however, through the "twin" photon in the visible that the information is extracted. A technology, therefore, potentially usable for both civil and military applications: from collision avoidance missions for satellites and drones, to peacekeeping missions, to operations in urban areas and, more generally, to all those situations in which it is necessary to guarantee the safety of operators. This project has attracted strong interest from the business areas that will take care of its final implementation and could really represent an added value also for Leonardo's main stakeholders: just think about what it would mean, in terms of safety, for a soldier on the battlefield to have the possibility of "looking around the corner”.
Quantum Technologies Lab – Rome Tiburtina
Q-Secure-Comms Project
Q-Secure-Comms is a suite of components, designed in the Quantum Computing Lab, that allows to detect an ongoing attempt to decipher the quantum key of a system, generate new intrinsically random and unpredictable keys and redistribute them among users. The expected benefit on divisional processes and products is connected first of all to the possibility of having a technology with an intrinsic functionality of detecting attacks and interceptions on key exchange networks, the distribution of which can be made easier, more frequent, and flexible, even for new usage scenarios in out-of-area and global theatres of operation. All accompanied by an intrinsic robustness with respect to future attacks from quantum computers. The project will be transferred to the Cyber & Security Solutions business area which, working together with researchers from Leonardo Innovation Labs, will bring it to a level of maturity such as to make it a product available, for example, to law enforcement agencies to maintain the confidentiality of their communications.
Digital Flight Lab Project
The Digital Flight Lab (DFL), developed by the Leonardo Innovation Lab located at the “OGR Tech” innovation hub in Turin, focuses on the design and development of a web digital twin platform that leverages Model-Based System Engineering (MBSE) and allows users to run multidisciplinary simulations, in order to improve systems engineering practices. It represents a dynamic and cooperative framework that digitalises the entire aircraft design process and connects traditionally independent elements, offering an integrated perspective within the entire “aircraft system” design cycle, since it combines simulation models at different levels of granularity and detail. Currently, the Digital Flight Lab is one of the building blocks of ViBES: the Virtual Based Engineering System of the Aircraft business area and has been adopted by the Helicopters business area as a pre-integration environment for its models at the flight simulators of the Cascina Costa site (Varese).
Leonardo OGR – Officine Grandi Riparazioni – Turin
Open Innovation and Technology Intelligence
The “strength” of Leonardo Innovation Labs lies in the close integration with the open innovation model, which allows to expand the scope of research through collaborations with universities, start-ups, research centers and industrial partners. An openness that generates a fertile ecosystem, in which internal skills are enriched thanks to the comparison with external experts, maximising the opportunities for technological development. At the centre of this strategy is technology intelligence, a structured activity of continuous monitoring of emerging technologies, not only in Leonardo’s domains, to evaluate their potential impact. This in-depth analysis of patents, publications, and market trends in the strategic sectors of Aerospace, Defence and Security allows not only to verify the alignment of the Labs’ research with the main global technological directions, but also to adopt a proactive approach. In this way, the Labs are able to anticipate emerging trends, validate strategic choices and ensure that investments are directed towards the areas with the greatest development potential.
Technology Transfer
Technology transfer is the true backbone of Leonardo Innovation Labs. A process that is not limited to the “transfer” of technologies to the different business areas, but also includes the transfer of skills. Specifically, if a business area does not have some specific skills needed to manage a given technology or solution, the Labs can intervene directly by making their highly qualified personnel and related know-how available. This synergy generates a true osmosis between the Labs and the business units, ensuring that the technologies conceived and developed within the company are effectively transformed into competitive products and solutions, ready to be offered in the reference markets.
This virtuous circle is based on constant communication and a solid relationship, both between the researchers themselves and between the Labs and the different business units of the Group. The goal is to create a fertile ecosystem, a collaborative humus where skills, experiences and solutions can flow freely, intertwining and enriching each other. This continuous exchange not only strengthens existing capabilities, but also stimulates the generation of new ideas, accelerating the innovation process and consolidating a wealth of knowledge capable of translating into strategic value for the entire Group.
Leonardo Innovation Labs, a pipeline of talents
One of the secrets of the success of the Leonardo Innovation Labs model is the pipeline of skills. By investing in PhDs and academic collaborations, the Labs not only foster research on strategic topics, but also guarantee the company a continuous flow of young talents. Since 2019, this model has led to the inclusion of numerous new professional figures, with a significant growth plan - both in the business areas and at a central level - which will be implemented by 2028 to ultimately constitute one of the strategic pillars of the Leonardo Group, fueling a virtuous cycle of innovation and growth.
