Status quo of AI activities in Saxony

With a view to boosting the competitiveness of industry and research in the field of AI in Saxony, in November 2018 the project »Artificial Intelligence – Expertise and Innovation Potential in Saxony« (KIKiS) was launched. In the following months, the Fraunhofer IIS division Engineering of Adaptive Systems EAS and the Chair of Highly-Parallel VLSI Systems and Neuro-Microelectronics at Dresden University of Technology examined the status quo and future prospects of AI activities in the Free State of Saxony. The focus of the project was on providers’ concrete views regarding the challenges faced by the sector, its potential and needs, and the framework conditions required for successful development of AI solutions in the region.

Extensive interviews with experts from research and industry on topics ranging from machine learning to artificial neural networks have now pinpointed the areas in which a need for action is perceived. These areas include knowledge and technology transfer, teaching, availability of analyzable databases, or qualification and further training of employees.

»One of the conclusions we can draw is that the exchange and transfer of knowledge among research, teaching, and industry must become even more efficient – and above all reciprocal – in the future,« says Dr. Peter Schneider, project manager of KIKiS and head of the Fraunhofer EAS division, summarizing one of the key findings from the survey.

An overview of the project’s main findings was presented by the Fraunhofer EAS division and Dresden University of Technology as part of a roadshow with stops in four of Saxony’s regions. The KIKiS project is supported by Saxony’s State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Transport through its technology funding program, and co-financed with tax revenue under the budget approved by the Saxon State Parliament.