An AI Co-Innovation Lab on the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee campus has opened, marking a milestone for a collaboration between Microsoft Corp.the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation UWM and TitletownTech.
It is Microsoft’s first AI Co-Innovation Lab with a dedicated focus on manufacturing innovation.
Operating out of a temporary home on the UWM campus over the past year, the lab worked with a handful of companies from across Wisconsin to build AI solutions.
“The lab brings a startup mindset to industry by moving fast, building with purpose and focusing on outcomes,” said TitletownTech Managing Partner Craig Dickman. “As AI becomes foundational to every sector, building fluency is critical not just for innovation but for staying competitive.”
Manufacturers are using AI for real-time fault detection in industrial machinery, multilingual voice assistants that streamline gate, dock and yard logistics, building tools to forecast supply chain lead times, manage hydroponic farms and deliver proactive customer support.
“A year ago, alongside our $3.3 billion infrastructure investment, we committed to using the power of AI to help advance the next generation of manufacturing companies, skills and jobs in Wisconsin and across the country,” said Rima Alaily, corporate vice president and general counsel, infrastructure legal affairs at Microsoft. “With access to cutting-edge AI technology and technical guidance to bring their ideas to life, we can’t wait to see what Wisconsin companies will build.”
The AI Co-Innovation Lab helps catalyze businesses toward AI adoption and acceleration through hands-on collaboration. Teams partner with either UWM or TitletownTech to define meaningful use cases and work directly with Microsoft engineers to explore and shape AI-driven solutions.
Depending on the need, the lab supports both full prototyping sprints, where teams build working solutions using Microsoft’s cloud and AI technologies, and design sessions that focus on solution architecture and feasibility. This flexible model gives startups, manufacturers and enterprises the strategic and technical support to unlock new value, drive efficiency and move confidently into AI-powered innovation.
By equipping Wisconsin-based organizations with cutting-edge tools and talent, the lab ensures that the state is well positioned to compete and lead in an increasingly global, technology-driven economy.
