Samsung has announced the expansion of its Montreal-based artificial intelligence (AI) lab to the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms (Mila). The Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) AI Lab in Montreal, which first opened at the University of Montreal in September 2017, has been moved to Mila to strengthen the fundamentals in AI research and drive competitiveness in system semiconductors, the company said.

Will strengthen collaboration with top authorities

Founded by Professor Yoshua Bengio of University of Montreal, Mila has partnerships with the University of Montreal and McGill University. “It is one of the greatest research centers in the field of deep learning” and will allow Samsung to strengthen collaboration with top authorities in the field. Samsung has been working with Professor Bengio since 2014. The company now aims of working closely with more AI communities in Mila.

The SAIT AI Lab in Mila will focus on developing new deep learning algorithms and on-device AI. Samsung has hired Simon Lacoste-Julien, Professor at the University of Montreal, to lead the research team. The company will be sending more R&D personnel from its semiconductor business to Montreal over time.

Samsung has been stepping up efforts to expand its non-memory and foundry business to once again find growth in the declining chip market. The company recently announced a $115 billion investment plan for the next ten years. Samsung had previously said that it wants 1,000 researchers working on AI by 2020.