Amazon Web Services, U of A join forces to streamline research using artificial intelligence

The University of Alberta and Amazon partnered up for an AI project. (David Ewasuk/CTV News Edmonton)

The University of Alberta has forged a partnership with Amazon Web Services to launch an artificial intelligence discovery place.

"The U of A was one of the first Canadian universities to sign on with AWS to innovate faster with the cloud," Michael Brown, U of A's media relations strategist, said. "From there, the U of A grew the relationship when it moved hundreds of websites and resources that compose its digital ecosystem to the AWS cloud."

This initiative was designed to enhance research and innovation for students, researchers and industry professionals.

The Artificial Intelligence Discovery Place will be located at U of A’s downtown Enterprise Square campus.

Brown says eighty-three per cent of businesses are expected to use AI-powered solutions.

“For more than a quarter century, the University of Alberta has consistently ranked among the top three universities globally for AI, machine learning and data mining," said U of A president Bill Flanagan. "Bringing in a collaborator like Amazon Web Services, with visibility and access to resources, ups the stakes.”

An AWS Canada representative says the company hopes to unlock the full potential of AI to tackle the world’s most challenging problems, which includes making AI education and services accessible to anyone.

"With the Artificial Intelligence Discovery Place, AWS and the University of Alberta are working together to democratize access to AI technology," said AWS Canada education lead Coral Kennett. "We cannot wait to see how faculty, students, and industry use AWS cloud services to advance groundbreaking research in all areas of society."

The collaboration is expected to bring innovation and advancement in technology and education in the province.

“It is incredibly exciting to see that Amazon Web Services is expanding their footprint in Alberta by teaming up with a preeminent global institution of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the University of Alberta, and cementing Alberta’s position at the forefront of innovation.” Nate Glubish, minister of technology and innovation, said.

The Alberta government says the investment AWS brings to the province will help with their goal of creating 20,000 jobs and $5 billion in technology revenue by 2030 which is in the Alberta tech and innovative strategy.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's David Ewasuk