From Big Data to Artificial Intelligence

The MarghERita platform continues its path of growth and technological evolution, strengthening its role as a strategic infrastructure of the Emilia-Romagna Region for enhancing the value of data and developing innovative solutions for Public Administrations. Originally created to support Big Data Analytics, data science and advanced modelling activities, the platform is now expanding its capabilities to address one of the most important challenges of digital transformation: Generative Artificial Intelligence.

To support this evolution, a new specialised infrastructure equipped with 8 NVIDIA L40S GPUs has been introduced, designed to sustain high-computing workloads related to machine learning, deep learning and the execution of next-generation Artificial Intelligence models. This investment marks an important step forward in the platform’s ability to develop, train and operate increasingly advanced AI solutions.

The infrastructure upgrade is also a strategic element for strengthening public data sovereignty and enabling Local Public Administrations to safely experiment with new Artificial Intelligence applications within a governed, controlled and managed environment directly by the regional ecosystem, while maintaining full control over data, models and computing resources.

Thanks to the new hardware resources, MarghERita will be able to support the development of innovative use cases based on Large Language Models (LLMs), Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) systems, virtual assistants, conversational agents and tools for querying information assets in natural language. The new processing capabilities will also accelerate experimentation with predictive models, automatic classification systems, document analysis and intelligent applications supporting administrative and decision-making activities.

This evolution is part of the strategic vision that has guided the platform’s design from the outset: an open, modular infrastructure based mainly on open-source technologies, capable of adapting over time to changing technological scenarios and to the needs of local authorities. Today, MarghERita provides a complete ecosystem that integrates a Data Lakehouse, Data Engineering tools, Data Science environments, Business Intelligence platforms and Artificial Intelligence services within a secure and governed environment designed to ensure resource isolation and data protection.

The goal is to enable regional Public Administrations to consciously experiment with and adopt new AI technologies, enhancing the value of public information assets and fostering innovative solutions in healthcare, the environment, spatial planning, mobility, document management and public decision support.

By strengthening its infrastructure capabilities, MarghERita confirms its mission: to transform data into knowledge and knowledge into practical tools for improving the effectiveness of public policies and services for citizens, supporting the region in the transition from Big Data to Artificial Intelligence.