ÉTS and Ultra TCS team up to break new ground in artificial intelligence

MONTRÉAL, (June 12th, 2019) — The École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) and the multinational tech company Ultra Electronics are proud to announce the official launch of the first Institute in resilient and distributed artificial intelligence in Montréal: The ÉTS-Ultra TCS Resilient Machine learning Institute, dubbed the ReMI (Resilient Machine learning Institute). At the same time, Ultra Electronics plans to invest $25M over the course of the next two decades into research and development in the field.

 

Distributed artificial intelligence is concerned with systems in which artificial agents operate collectively and in a decentralised manner to accomplish a task. For its part, artificial intelligence (AI) as we currently know it is centralised in a single unit.

 

Distributed resilient AI is a multi-domain innovation that complements everything that is done in artificial intelligence in Montréal and elsewhere in Canada.

 

ReMI works to solve major telecommunication problems that arise during major incidents around the world, such as earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, terrorist acts, etc. With the support of ReMI and resilient networks, at least 50 per cent of telecommunication capabilities should be restored automatically during these tragedies.

 

Quotes

• “This is a major engineering breakthrough considering that network resilience is very important in many areas such as smart manufacturing or industry 4.0, public security, the military, and smart grids,” noted François Gagnon, director of ReMI.

 

• “Ultra TCS tests its communications systems in the most difficult conditions of the market. The integration of distributed machine learning will enable us to take a new technological step and diversity our product range,” explained Gwenaël Poitau, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Ultra Electronics TCS and Director, Data Science at ReMI.

 

World-class expertise

ReMI already has a network of eminent researchers from ÉTS, Polytechnique, McGill, Memorial University, CentraleSupélec (France), Tufts University (United States), etc. The team includes:

 

• François Gagnon, Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at ÉTS, holder of the CRSNG Ultra Electronics Chair in emergency and tactical telecommunications and holder of the Richard J. Marceau Research Chair in digital wireless strategies for developing countries.
• Gwenaël Poitau, Chief Technology Officer at Ultra TCS (CTO). Poitau has 18 years of experience in the development of wireless telecommunications systems for the telecommunications and defence markets. He has published a large number of patents and specialist articles. He is one of the few industrial experts to combine product architecture, academic research, and administration.

Two downtown locations

The ÉTS-Ultra TCS Resilient AI Learning Institute has two locations in Montreal’s downtown core: its expert office on Peel Ave. in Montréal and a showroom in the Centech facility, located a short distance from the ÉTS offices.

About ÉTS

The École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) is one of the 10 branches of the Université du Québec. It trains engineers and researchers recognised for their practical and innovative approach, the development of new technologies and their transfer to companies. Nearly one in four Quebec engineers graduates from ÉTS, which has more than 10,600 students. Specialised in applied training and engineering research, ÉTS maintains a unique partnership with the business community and the industry. For more information: www.etsmtl.ca.

 

About Ultra Electronics

Based in Montréal, Ultra TCS, a division of Ultra Electronics, is the world leader in high-capacity tactical communication systems. Ultra TCS provides reliable, powerful, and efficient communication equipment for defence systems. Ultra TCS products are designed to meet and exceed military requirements to ensure reliable, efficient, and robust communications that can be deployed in the most challenging environments. Ultra TCS is proud to work with leading system integrators to provide the best communications systems and services that can be integrated into any deployment scenario around the world. For more information, visit www.ultra-tcs.com.