Monday, April 30, 2018

University of Waterloo in Ontario opens an Artificial Intelligence Institute

The University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada has opened its Artificial Intelligence Institute. The institute will concentrate on foundational artificial intelligence (AI) and operational AI.

Foundational AI includes research on statistical learning, deep learning, game theory and data science. This is research that advances the whole technology industry. Operational AI research develops scalable, secure and transparent solutions for a wide range of applications.
Officials praise new institute
Feridun Hamdullapur, president and vice-chancellor of Waterloo University said: “The launch of Waterloo AI enhances Canada’s leadership in foundational and operational AI as it brings together world-renowned researchers with industry to accelerate innovation and prepare for future disruptions. By connecting research talent with industry expertise, Waterloo AI will identify problems and produce solutions that will actively benefit our society.”
Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development said that as a world leader in AI, Canada's talent and expertise attract millions from foreign investors each year. AI is expected to contribute up to $15.7 annually to the world economy by the year 2030.
Waterloo AI will pursue new areas of research that have important societal and business effects. The areas include healthcare, environmental protections, urban planning, manufacturing, autonomous systems and human-machine interaction. It will provide access to expertise by individuals and industry.
Waterloo AI is a joint venture between the two faculties of science and engineering. However, it will also include researchers from other departments including arts, applied health sciences, environment and science. It is also affiliated with a number of existing labs and institutes at the university.
The University of Waterloo
UW or UWaterloo is a public research university with its main campus in the city of Waterloo Ontario. It has a large main campus if 404 hectares or 1,000 acres of land besides the uptown of Waterloo and Waterloo Park It has academic programs in six different faculties and ten faculty-based school. It also has three satellite campuses plus four affiliated colleges.
Waterloo is a member of a group of research intensive Canadian universities called U15.
The university is famous for its cooperative programs. These programs allow students to integrate their education with applicable work experiences. The university claims to have the largest coop program of this kind in the world with 17,000 undergraduate programs and over 140 cooperative programs.
According to Wikipedia: "The university operates and manages 41 research centres and institutes, including the Centre for Applied Cryptographic Research, the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing and the Institute for Quantum Computing. Official recognition and designation of all centres and institutes requires the approval of the university's Senate."
As discussed in a recent Digital Journal article the university has partnered with China in research on autonomous electric vehicles.


Previously published in DIgital Journal

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