Pharmaceutical manufacturers are increasingly interested in the tenets of Industry 4.0, including the use of digital twins to simulate, test and optimize manufacturing processes on a computer before using them in production, according to technology advisory firm ABI Research. It projects spending by pharmaceutical manufacturers on data analytics tools--including the digital twin -- to grow by 27% over the next seven years, to reach $1.2 billion in 2030. As with other manufacturers, pharmaceutical makers plan to use the digital tools to boost productivity and to track their operations. Toronto-based Basetwo recently moved into this market with its software-as-a-service (SaaS) artificial intelligence (AI) platform. Today, the year-old company announced an upcoming $3.8 million seed financing round led by Glasswing Ventures and Argon Ventures.

A startup that has developed artificial intelligence to better manage city water systems is among 10 companies from around the world admitted to a San Francisco accelerator focused on turning drought, leaky pipes and pollution into business opportunities. Emagin, founded in 2016 by Thouheed Abdul Gaffoor and Mohamad Vedut, was among more than 200 applications for the 2017 cohort at the Imagine H2O accelerator in California. After graduating from the University of Waterloo with a degree in environmental engineering, Gaffoor hooked up with Vedut, who graduated from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology with a degree in software engineering. They founded Emagin and moved into the Velocity Garage in the Tannery building in downtown Kitchener while Gaffoor pursues his master's in civil engineering at UW. Two Ontario municipalities are using the startup's artificial intelligence to help operate drinking water and wastewater systems. Emagin's software quickly establishes the normal rates of water use on a system, and alerts operators to problems.