Skip to main content
UW Crest with engineering background
July 29, 2021

College of Engineering researchers part of two national artificial intelligence institutes

Written By: Staff

University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Engineering researchers will harness artificial intelligence to promote advanced wireless networks as part of two national AI institutes that were announced July 29, 2021.

The institutes are among 11 funded by the National Science Foundation. Each institute will receive $20 million for a total $220 million investment by NSF. Building off of seven institutes funded in 2020, the new program is meant to broaden access to AI to solve complex societal problems.

UW–Madison College of Engineering scientists are partners in:

Institute for Future Edge Networks and Distributed Intelligence (AI-EDGE)

Led by researchers at Ohio State, AI-EDGE includes Robert Nowak, UW–Madison professor of electrical and computer engineering.

AI-EDGE will develop new AI tools and techniques to ensure that wireless networks are self-healing and self-optimized. These networks will make AI more efficient, interactive and privacy-preserving for applications in sectors such as intelligent transportation, remote health care, distributed robotics and smart aerospace. The institute is partially funded by the Department of Homeland Security.

Institute for Edge Computing Leveraging Next-generation Networks (Athena)

Led by Duke University, Athena aims to transform the design, operation and service of future mobile systems and networks. UW–Madison professor of computer sciences Suman Banerjee is part of a team of scientists, engineers, statisticians, legal scholars and psychologists from seven universities. Banerjee is joined by Bhuvana Krishnaswamy and Younghyun Kim, assistant professors of electrical and computer engineering at UW–Madison.

Athena researchers, also partially funded by the Department of Homeland Security, are committed to training a diverse workforce of edge computing and networking leaders driven to maintain ethics and fairness in AI. The institute will support collaboration and knowledge transfer to help turn emerging technical capabilities to new business models and entrepreneurial opportunities.

UW-Madison researchers are also involved in the Institute for Intelligent Cyberinfrastructure with Computational Learning in the Environment (ICICLE), focused on making AI more accessible to improve agricultural sustainability.

In addition to the NSF, the 11 institutes are partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the Department of Homeland Security, Google, Amazon, Intel and Accenture.

Robert Nowak is the Keith and Jane Morgan Nosbusch Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

A version of this story was originally published by UW-Madison.


Categories