Partnership To Drive Applied Research with
Canadian Universities in the Areas of Sustainable Grid, Digital
Equity and Clean Tech
Research & Innovation Lab to Be
Established in Montreal in
Partnership with IEEE Future Networks Initiative
MONTREAL, Nov. 24, 2021 /CNW/ - VMware (NYSE: VMW)
today announced a partnership with Mitacs, a non-profit
organization that connects industry with Canadian academic
institutions, and launched its Digital Equity Grid Innovation
initiative, also known as TETRA. The initiative, aligned with
VMware's Automated Life vision, aims to advance applied research
that will play a critical role in paving a sustainable path for 6G.
In addition, the organizations plan to establish a TETRA research
& innovation (R&I) center in Montreal, in partnership with the IEEE Future
Networks Initiative (FNI), a technical community of IEEE, the
world's largest technical professional organization advancing
technology for the benefit of humanity. TETRA and FNI will
collaborate on solutions to bridge the digital divide.
"The path to 6G requires a fundamental rearchitecting of the
Internet to an Open Grid – one that can be accessed from everywhere
and brings immersive apps to everyone," said Kit Colbert, CTO, VMware. "This calls for
significant advancement of physical and digital systems through
broad partnerships and true cross-sector collaboration. Our
partnership with Mitacs aims to drive this advancement forward,
keeping sustainability and digital equity at the heart of our
work."
Initial applied research projects will focus in the areas
of:
- Sustainable Grid: Create a sustainable Open Grid with an
international research team to enable access to a global pool of
physical, digital, and biological resources to solve the
unsolved.
- Digital Equity: Address the digital divide with
practical and novel solutions, in partnership with IEEE, to connect
the unconnected and ensure everyone can reap benefits of the
digital society.
- Clean Tech: Contribute to a better environment for the
planet in accordance with Environmental, Social and Governance
(ESG) goals included in the VMware 2030 Agenda.
John Hepburn, CEO of Mitacs,
said, "Connecting rural, remote, and Indigenous communities is
critical to driving innovation in every part of Canada. Mitacs is thrilled to be collaborating
with VMware as part of the Digital Equity Grid Innovation
initiative. This initiative will improve connectivity; enable
local, national, and international research collaboration; and
support the development of an innovation ecosystem that leverages
local strengths. We look forward to seeing where this partnership
can take us."
VMware, Mitacs and IEEE FNI also plan to establish a R&I
center in Montreal where
researchers will develop Open Grid infrastructure that bridges
technologies from the satellite, wireless, networks and cloud
industries. This infrastructure platform will serve as the
application development platform for IEEE Future Networks
Initiative's Connecting the Unconnected Challenge, which seeks
novel solutions for universal and affordable internet access. In
addition, researchers will be able to test solutions in real-world
environments via Open Grid Alliance Innovation Zones and IEEE FNI
testbeds.
"Nearly half of the world's population is still not connected to
the Internet, but the Internet is a critical access point to
education, economic opportunity, and health information and
services. IEEE is excited to leverage our Connecting the
Unconnected Challenge program to provide an innovation and a broad
talent pipeline to the TETRA pilot project. This partnership
provides the perfect framework to focus the expertise of our global
member network on this critical humanitarian issue," said
Mary Ward-Callan, Managing Director,
Technical Activities, IEEE.
The Honorable François-Philippe
Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of
Canada, said, "Canada is home to some of the best and
brightest minds in emerging areas of technology like automated
intelligence, machine learning and spatial computing. Thanks to
VMware's confidence in Canada,
this investment will support our great talent and help solve some
important challenges facing our society in the decades to
come."
About VMware
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of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation
with enterprise control. As a trusted foundation to accelerate
innovation, VMware software gives businesses the flexibility and
choice they need to build the future. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to
building a better future through the company's 2030 Agenda.
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SOURCE VMware