AI-EDGE
The AI Institute for Future Edge Networks and Distributed Intelligence, called AI-EDGE, is led by The Ohio State University, and it aims to design future generations of wireless edge networks that are highly efficient, reliable, robust and secure. New AI tools and techniques will be developed to ensure that these networks are self-healing and self-optimized.
This team includes electrical and computer engineering professors Sanjay Shakkottai, Constantine Caramanis and assistant professor Aryan Mokhtari. Their expertise is in bridging wireless networks and machine learning. Shakkottai is leading one of the research thrusts of the project, AI-based network resource allocation. And the UT Austin researchers will also work on other key project areas, including multi-agent network control, network aware AI operation and network operations for distributed AI.
“This Institute draws on long-standing strengths within UT in wireless networks and AI/ML,” Shakkottai said. “We will collaborate with researchers in the Wireless Networking and Communications Group — the home of 6G wireless research at UT — the UT Austin Machine Learning Lab and the NSF AI Institute for Foundations of Machine Learning. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to collaborate and develop critical technologies across these disciplines.”
The team is focused on edge networks — a trend in the technology world where data storage and processing occur closer to devices and users — because the majority of growth is expected to come with wireless devices, services and applications at the edge rather than the traditional network core. These edge networks will encompass mobile and stationary end devices, wireless and wired access, and computing and data servers.
Collaboration over these adaptive networks will help solve long-standing distributed AI challenges, making AI more efficient, interactive and privacy-preserving for applications in sectors such as intelligent transportation, remote health care, distributed robotics and smart aerospace. It will create a research, education, knowledge transfer and workforce development environment that will help establish U.S. leadership in next-generation edge networks and distributed AI for many decades to come.
The highly collaborative project includes 30 scientists and engineers from 11 institutions, three U.S. Department of Defense research labs and four global companies.