On June 6, a memorandum on the creation in St. Petersburg of world-class research and educational center Artificial Intelligence in Industry was signed within the framework of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Alexander Beglov, Acting Governor of the City, Alexander Dyukov, Chair of the Management Board at Gazprom Neft, and the Rectors of three leading technical universities of St. Petersburg signed the document. Viktor Sheludko, Rector of St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI,” Vladimir Vasilyev, Rector of the ITMO University, Andrei Rudskoy, and Rector of the Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University concluded the agreement.
The parties agreed to work together on the creation of the research and educational center by the integration of universities and research organizations and their cooperation with enterprises. The purpose of the center is to provide world-class research and development, obtain new competitive technologies and commercialize them.
“We are joining efforts to create a world-class research and education center. It will appear in Petersburg because our city has a colossal scientific, educational, industrial and personnel potential. The creation of this center will allow us to make a real breakthrough in the development of a smart economy, to solve the difficult tasks facing our country today.”
Alexander Beglov, Acting Governor of Saint Petersburg
“St. Petersburg is capable of becoming the technological capital for the creation and development of artificial intelligence technologies for the Russian fuel and energy complex. The city has strong technical universities that are ready to interact with the business effectively. We see great potential in combining the efforts of the Gazprom Neft project teams and universities to create competitive products in the field of artificial intelligence.”
Alexander Dyukov, Chair of the Management Board at Gazprom Neft
Another important task of the new center will be the training of core personnel for solving major issues in the interests of developing the branches of science and technology of the Russian Federation.
The occurrence of ETU “LETI” among the initiators of the research and educational center is due to the significant potential of the university in the field of information technology and artificial intelligence, industrial engineering, and innovative solutions. Today, ETU “LETI” is the only university in Russia that is a member of the world association for artificial intelligence. The university hosts an Intelligent Systems (INTELS) international symposium, a conference on soft computing and measurement. Over the years, the university trains students under the Master’s program “Distributed Intelligent Systems and Technologies.” ETU “LETI” publishes textbooks and a journal that consolidates the entire university community.
“The signing of the memorandum is a significant event for the city, as it allows concentrating efforts of leading universities in the field of artificial intelligence. The development of technology in this area will significantly develop the economy. Petersburg has every chance to become not only a leader, a driver in the field of industrial artificial intelligence in the Russian Federation, but also to occupy leading international positions.”
Viktor Sheludko, Rector of ETU “LETI”
A project office will be formed in St. Petersburg in June of this year. It will be engaged in the development of regulations and the financial model of the future center. It will accelerate developments that will be able to give concrete results in the development of the digital economy and industry.
Photo: Press Service of the Governor of St. Petersburg