AI expert Xing Bo becomes president of AI University, Kai-Fu Lee and Yao Qizhi are both directors of the university

Yuyang Yangjing sent this from Aofei Temple
Quantum Bit Report | Public Account QbitAI

The latest news is that CMU's well-known AI scholar Xing Bo will go to Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZU AI) to serve as the president .

The official website also officially announced:

It was also stated that the first batch of MBZUAI graduate students will officially begin their studies in January 2021.

This university, established in October 2019 and located in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, UAE, is known as the world's first university dedicated to AI research. World-renowned AI scholars including Yao Qizhi and Kai-Fu Lee are members of the founding board of directors.

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Chairman of the Board of MBZUAI, commented:

We are delighted to welcome Professor Xing as the MBZUAI Chair. He is one of the world’s foremost scholars in the field of AI and a distinguished business leader who understands the practical applications of AI.

We are confident that Professor Xing will bring tremendous expertise to MBZUAI and contribute to our ambitions in this industry.

Regarding this appointment, Xing Bo said,

As the President of MBZUAI, my vision is to train and develop a new generation of leaders with the necessary understanding, expertise and skills to unlock the full potential of AI through academic research and industry applications.

We are determined to make the UAE a hub for the international AI community. MBZUAI welcomes leading researchers and innovators in all fields of AI from around the world who want to be part of a dynamic, diverse and elite institution that offers unparalleled resources, environment, and unlimited opportunities for personal growth and societal impact.

Who is Xing Bo?

Bo Xing is the associate director of the Machine Learning Department at the CMU School of Computer Science. He has also served as a visiting associate professor at Stanford University and a visiting research professor at Facebook.

He is also a member of IEEE, AAAI, and a member of the Board of Directors of the International Machine Learning Association.

Prior to this, he had obtained a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley . With two doctoral degrees, he can be called a "fighter among academic masters . "

In 1988, he was admitted to the Department of Physics of Tsinghua University and served as the first captain of the Tsinghua University Mountaineering Team.

He then went to Rutgers University to study "Molecular Biology and Biochemistry", and studied computer science at the same university in 1996. He received a master's degree in computer science from Rutgers University in 1998 and a doctorate in molecular biology from Rutgers University in 1999.

In 2004, he received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Currently, his research areas are machine learning, statistical methods, and computational biology.

He has authored or contributed to more than 370 cited research papers and reports. His research has been cited more than 35,000 times by leading scholars and academic journals.

Founded Petuum and received investment from Tencent and SoftBank

Previously, Professor Xing Bo founded Petuum , a deep learning platform startup in Pittsburgh, where CMU is located , which is committed to building a standardized artificial intelligence development platform and operating system for industrial AI applications.

The company was favored by Tencent in its first round of financing in 2016. VCs including Tencent gave Xing Bo a $15 million Series A investment.

In 2017, Petuum received another US$93 million in Series B funding from SoftBank China Capital and Advantech Capital.

However, after 2019, news of Petuum's layoffs was reported on social media such as Yimusanfendi Forum and Zhihu.

Now that Professor Xing Bo has moved from CMU to MBZUAI, it may mean that Petuum has made further progress.

Reference Links:

https://mbzuai.ac.ae/news-events/MBZUAI-appoints-world-renowned-leading-AI-academic-Professor-Dr-Eric-Xing-as-President