Hitachi Rail has announced a major technological milestone, becoming the first transport company worldwide to integrate NVIDIA’s most advanced AI platform—NVIDIA IGX Thor—into its digital asset management system, HMAX.
This breakthrough promises to significantly enhance the performance and reliability of rail operations. The IGX Thor platform delivers up to 8x more AI compute power and 2x faster connectivity, enabling real-time edge AI processing for mission-critical applications across trains, signalling systems, and infrastructure.
For UK rail professionals, this means faster, smarter decision-making at the operational level. Traditionally, data collected from trains and infrastructure could take up to ten days to be processed at maintenance centres. With IGX Thor embedded in HMAX, that data is now analysed instantly at the edge—onboard trains or trackside—ensuring only the most relevant insights are sent to control centres.
This leap in capability supports predictive maintenance and operational optimisation, helping operators reduce downtime and improve passenger service.
Giuseppe Marino, Group CEO of Hitachi Rail, commented:
“AI and data are transforming railways. By adopting NVIDIA IGX Thor, we are bringing the world’s most powerful industrial-grade, real-time AI performance directly to the edge, enabling operators to better optimise their railways and infrastructure. This capability will strengthen reliability, efficiency and optimisation for passengers and operators alike.”
The move is part of Hitachi’s wider strategy to deploy trusted AI and data technologies across the transport ecosystem. Since launching HMAX in September 2024, the company has been accelerating its digital transformation efforts. Just last month, Hitachi Rail opened a $100M digital factory near Washington D.C., designed to deliver next-generation metro trains for North America while showcasing operational excellence through “physical-world AI”.
This latest collaboration with NVIDIA builds on the Hitachi Group’s Lumada 3.0 platform, reinforcing its commitment to AI infrastructure and digital innovation. By expanding HMAX across industries, Hitachi continues to position itself as a global leader in smart mobility solutions.
For UK rail stakeholders, this development signals a future where AI-driven insights are not just theoretical but embedded in the day-to-day running of rail networks—boosting performance, safety, and customer satisfaction.
Image credits: Hitachi
