Norway ASA has partnered up with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and research institute SINTEF to establish an artificial intelligence (AI) and big data research lab.
The AI and big data lab, which will be based at NTNU in Trondheim, Norway, will focus on how machines can contribute to developing new services by identifying structures and knowledge in large data sets. The goal is to provide Norwegian companies with competitive advantages in the international digital arena.
In addition to the lab, Telenor Group (Nasdaq: TELN) will also develop and launch an Internet of Things (IoT) network in several Norwegian cities. Norwegian startup companies and students can access the IoT network for free in order to develop and test their products and services. The first pilot is slated to be located in Oslo in collaboration with StartupLab.
One of the reasons Telenor is setting up the lab is to provide more opportunities in Norway for the development of AI, which it said was currently in the hands of several large companies.
"With every day that passes, with every search in Google, purchase in Amazon or 'like' on Facebook, the AI of a handful of dominant players make it increasingly less interesting for consumers to test out alternatives," said Bjørn-Taale Sandberg, head of Telenor Research, in a prepared statement. "There is a real risk that the most fundamental technology of the 21st Century will be dominated by a few large companies, unless we take the necessary steps. By launching the AI Lab at NTNU and by empowering our startups, we contribute directly to taking those steps."
Telenor's partnerships with NTNU, SINTEF and StartupLab have an initial horizon of five years with an investment of about $6 million over that time frame.
On a programming note, Sandberg will be the featured guest on the Aug. 25 radio show hosted by Telco Transformation. (See Telenor Sets Sail on Its Digital Journey.)
— Mike Robuck, Editor, Telco Transformation