NVIDIA : Opening AI Research Lab in Toronto, Following Move in Seattle

Toronto is a thriving hub for AI experts, thanks in part to foundational work out of the University of Toronto and government-supported research organizations like the Vector Institute.

We're tapping further into this expertise by investing in a new AI research lab - led by leading computer scientist Sanja Fidler - that will become the focal point of our presence in the city.

NVIDIA's Toronto office opened in 2015, leveraging our acquisition of TransGaming, a game-technology company, and currently numbers about 50.

With the new lab, our goal is to triple the number of AI and deep learning researchers working there by year's end. It will be a state-of-art facility for AI talent to work in and will expand the footprint of our office by about half to accommodate the influx of talent.

Fidler's main research interests are deep learning and computer vision, with connections to natural language processing. While taking up the helm as director of AI research for the NVIDIA Toronto office, she'll continue in her role as an assistant professor in the department of computer science at the University of Toronto.

The move comes as the Canadian government is touting the opening of domestic offices by top-tier tech multinationals.

'The fundamental AI work being done in Toronto is further solidifying Canada's place as a world-leader in the field. Our talent and innovation ecosystem make us an attractive place for companies, like NVIDIA, to grow and create well-paying jobs for Canadians,' said Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. 'Our government welcomes this investment and is proud to partner with NVIDIA as we continue advancing our machine learning knowledge.'

In 2017, NVIDIA similarly invested in a research lab with strong ties to academia, opening a robotics research lab in Seattle, led by Dieter Fox, a top roboticist and University of Washington professor.

Both the Toronto and Seattle research labs are part of the 200-person strong NVIDIA Research team, which works from nearly a dozen worldwide locations and focuses on pushing the boundaries of technology in machine learning, computer vision, self-driving cars, robotics, graphics and other areas.

Fidler and other NVIDIA researchers will be presenting at CVPR, the annual computer vision event taking place in Salt Lake City, from June 19-21.

*Header image courtesy of Flickr