Today's Edition
KHALED AL KHAWALEH (ABU DHABI)
As impending breakthroughs in quantum computing disrupt the way humanity tackles its pressing issues, students from NYU Abu Dhabi took time out this weekend to have a go at tackling the complex field.
As part of the University’s annual Hackathon, attended by industry leaders and experts from across the world, the students used quantum equations and mechanics to find solutions for some of the region’s most pressing issues, including the delivery of humanitarian aid amid conflicts, natural disasters and the surge of fake news circulating online.
“It’s impressive to witness more than 300 talents from around the world collaborating on challenges impacting the social good of the Arab world, leveraging quantum computing and AI technologies,” Dr. Abdulla Alshimmari, the Senior Director of Programme Management at Core42, told Aletihad after the event.
“Each team demonstrated remarkable enthusiasm and commitment to addressing at least one Sustainable Development Goal with their solutions. These events are highly significant, fostering collaboration among esteemed educational institutions, industry leaders, and talented individuals who benefit from technology access and mentorship to pursue goals that yield positive societal impact, aligning with our core mission at G42
and Core42.”
Dr. Alshimmari was one of several guests chosen to judge the event, including representatives from IBM, Amazon and several prestigious universities. This year’s event theme was delivering social good in the Arab world, with many students focussing on issues of climate, current conflicts.
Although the winner of the day went to the team behind “QGasBusters”, an app that protects critical infrastructure by instantly detecting pipeline anomalies, and optimally allocating emergency resources using Quantum Sensing & Machine Learning.
Sana Odeh, NYUAD Affiliated Faculty and Clinical Professor of Computer Science at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at NYU founded and organised the event. For her it was a golden opportunity to provide bright students with mentoring and networking opportunities.
“I wanted to be able to connect to the region and to bring international talent here to work with our students and to energise and inspire them. And I thought of the hackathon, and I built the hackathon around mentoring,” Odeh told Aletihad.
“The hackathon used to be 24 hours with no mentoring and now it’s three days and we also focus on the social good. Now it’s becoming an important global event, and you can see the experts that have come as a testament to that.”
Having helped set up the computer science department at the university some 14 years ago, Odeh has seen how far the UAE has come forward in the AI and computing space more generally in the last few years. She said events like the hackathon, and the formation of locally based companies like Core42 would continue to give the regional talent a place to grow.
“I think we’re shifting centres. I think the centre now is changing. There’s a lot of things happening outside of Europe. I mean, we have quantum machines here at the Quantum Centre at NYU Abu Dhabi,” she said.
“We have G42, with that agreement with Microsoft we’re seeing millions of dollars coming into growing AI and other companies dedicated to quantum computing. We’re very happy we are a centre of innovation and the expertise that you see in the room tonight is a testimony that we are already doing that.”
