St. Petersburg State University will develop a strong AI platform for the Internet of Things for high-tech industries

With the support of the Government of the Russian Federation, six scientific and educational establishments will get state funding for the development of industry research centers in the field of artificial intelligence.

St. Petersburg State University outpaced seven Russian universities in the Digital Industry nomination and will receive a grant to develop a platform for artificial intelligence of things. The project will be implemented in collaboration with the partners — Lartech, part of ER-Telecom Holding JSC, supplier and manufacturer of automated information systems and integrated solutions in the field of the Internet of Things, and the ITPS Group of Companies.

The amount of the grant provided to the University in 2023-2026 will be over 625 million rubles. The funding will be used to create a modular digital platform for strong artificial intelligence of things. It will help combine and process information from thousands of sensors associated with the facilities of a particular high-tech enterprise, as well as, for example, to create a voice interface used by the employees to communicate with the production system. The platform will also ensure the system's security with connected IoT devices.

"We have been living in the future for quite a while now. Modern industrial production facilities include huge robotic systems generating large amounts of data. To manage such complicated systems, we need to be able to process streams of heterogeneous data coming from a wide range of devices, and it is exactly what artificial intelligence-based technologies are best suited for. Therefore, in developing new approaches to AI implementation in the field of IoT, the University will require support from its industry partners, as they can set the task for our experts in the best way possible. I am convinced that such cooperation will allow us to create truly effective solutions that will contribute to the development of Russian industry and economy," mentioned Sergey Mikushev, Vice-Rector for Scientific Work at St. Petersburg State University.

In addition to software development, the University specialists will design specific standards for the new software and elaborate ethical and legal aspects of the use of information systems to ensure their successful implementation at high-tech enterprises in Russia, the BRICS countries, and other countries.

"Recent studies reveal that by 2030, every person will use up to ten smart things. Managing this number of devices and data without the help of artificial intelligence is no easy feat. Lartech, a major developer and manufacturer of smart things, needed a scientific partner with expertise in fundamental research to address these challenges. We are delighted that St. Petersburg State University, the oldest University in Russia with great research opportunities, has become our partner," noted Dmitry Poltorak, CEO of Lartech.

"As part of the project in collaboration with St. Petersburg State University, we plan to create an AI ‑platform module for building digital deposits. Using data from IoT ‑sensors, modeling systems, and other information systems, the module will select the optimal field operation mode, identify key measures to overcome emergency situations and determine the factors that lead to deviations from the asset's ‑business plan. Together, we will create a universal solution that will accelerate the implementation of digital products and facilitate the work of enterprises," said Alexey Mezentsev, Product Director of the ITPS Group of Companies. 

The draft application of St. Petersburg State University was presented by the Director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science of St. Petersburg State University, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor Hovhannes Petrosyan at a round table at the University. The round table was attended by the representatives of the University's partners, heads of companies, and industry associations.