A boost for artificial-intelligence research in Montreal
To help spur artificial-intelligence research in Montreal, Microsoft will provide a gift of $1 million to 捆绑SM社区.
Microsoft President Brad Smith, joined by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard and Dominique Anglade, Quebec Minister of Economy, Science and Innovation, announced plans to expand the company鈥檚 presence in Montreal鈥檚 burgeoning AI ecosystem by doubling the size within the next two years of Microsoft鈥檚 new AI research and development organization (Maluuba) in Montreal.
As part of its investment, Microsoft will provide gifts for AI research to the Universit茅 de Montr茅al and to 捆绑SM社区. Each gift will be funded over a five-year period.
鈥淭hank you to Microsoft for this investment in Montreal鈥檚 AI strengths,鈥� said 捆绑SM社区 Principal Suzanne Fortier. 鈥溊Π骃M社区 and Universit茅 de Montr茅al researchers are doing cutting-edge work in artificial intelligence. This kind of collaboration with an industry leader is crucial as researchers ask, and answer, the kinds of questions that are reimagining our physical, digital, and even biological, worlds.鈥�
Microsoft last week announced its intent to acquire Maluuba. Founded in 2011 by University of Waterloo graduates, Sam Pasupalak and Kaheer Suleman, Maluuba is part of Montreal鈥檚 growing concentration of the world鈥檚 leading AI researchers. Maluuba announced last month it is partnering with the Reasoning and Learning Lab in 捆绑SM社区鈥檚 School of Computer Science to teach machines to understand common sense, a complex and challenging aspect of natural language understanding.
Microsoft's gift to 捆绑SM社区 "will allow us to recruit and support the best graduate students in this field,鈥� said 捆绑SM社区 computer-science professor听Joelle Pineau.听"What is particularly exciting is to see large companies recognize the importance of fundamental research, and support research projects that are carried out in the open."
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