- It represents a step forward towards technological sovereignty, as the solution allows organisations to retain control of data, processes and knowledge.
Lantek, a multinational company leading the digital transformation of the metal industry, and the Basque technology centre IKERLAN (both leaders in the Basque Country's AI ecosystem and BAIC partners) are working on the GALAXIA project. This R&D initiative involves developing an industrial agent-based AI architecture based on multi-agent systems. These systems are capable of not only analysing information, but also executing coordinated actions in real production environments.
Funded by the Basque Government's HAZITEK programme, the project represents a step towards technological sovereignty, committing to the local development of advanced artificial intelligence capabilities for industry. This reduces dependence on external technology platforms and ensures control over critical data and processes.
The GALAXIA project's development takes into account the obligations established by the European Artificial Intelligence Regulation (AI Act) for companies to adapt their systems to new security, transparency and control requirements. IKERLAN's multi-agent architecture incorporates mechanisms that define what each agent can do, the context in which it can operate, and its level of autonomy.
Lantek is acting as the project coordinator and is contributing its expertise in industrial software, advanced data exploitation, and the development of intelligent assistants for use in production processes. IKERLAN participates as a technology leader, contributing its extensive multi-technology capabilities, as well as its experience in developing intelligent systems and conducting applied research in the industrial field.
The consortium also includes companies from strategic sectors such as Eroski, Mondragon Assembly, Goizper, Xabet, Ubikare, Lis Data and Fagor Arrasate, which validate the technology in applications from different sectors.
From chatbots to AI that acts
GALAXIA proposes a conceptual leap forward in conversational AI models by moving from systems that respond to systems that act and work as a team. Aizea Lojo, head of the Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI research team at IKERLAN, explains that "agent-based AI is based on different intelligent agents, each with a specific function and responsibility, collaborating in a coordinated manner to solve complex problems, similar to a human team in which each member plays a specific role but works in alignment with a common goal. Each agent contributes specialised capabilities, such as analysis, planning, supervision or execution, and acts in synchronisation with the rest, combining shared knowledge and context. These agents operate with high processing capacity, continuously analysing data and making real-time decisions, enabling artificial intelligence to evolve from a purely supportive role to an autonomous system capable of executing complete tasks within production processes, regardless of the sector."
Thanks to its modular design, this platform can apply coordinated agent logic to multiple industrial sectors, facilitating scalability and technology transfer. This architecture enables the automatic generation of quotes in response to emails, the activation of product replenishment in retail environments using artificial vision, and assistance in resolving technical issues, eliminating the need for manual intervention in repetitive processes.
“Artificial intelligence is not here to replace human operators. Its purpose is to automate and analyse tasks, allowing professionals to focus on supervision, decision-making, and continuous improvement. This represents a significant leap in functionality compared to previous industry solutions,” emphasises José A. Lorenzo, Data Area Manager at Lantek, regarding the project's strategic objectives.
The GALAXIA project, supported by the Basque Government's HAZITEK programme, is developing a multi-agent architecture applicable to sectors such as retail, health and industry.
