Opening Ceremony Held for the Sogang 'Smilegate AI Centre'

- Invigorating industry–academia cooperation and joint research with Smilegate, and cultivating AI specialists -

At 15:30 on Wednesday 12 October, the opening and plaque unveiling ceremony for the Smilegate AI Centre was held in Room 910 of the POSCO Francisco Hall (Building F). The event was attended by Smilegate Chairman Kwon Hyuk-bin and Smilegate AI Centre head Han Woo-jin, along with President Shim Jong-hyuk, Vice President for Academic Affairs Song Tae-kyong, Vice President for External Affairs Kim Soon-ki, Head of External Relations Chung Ok-hyun, Dean of the College of Engineering Choi Jung-woo, Smilegate AI Centre co-director Nang Jong-ho, Chair of the Department of Artificial Intelligence Kim Ji-hwan, and Smilegate scholarship students.

The Smilegate AI Centre was established on 1 March this year under the agreement on establishing and operating a centre reached when the graduate Department of Artificial Intelligence was created. Through the operation of the Smilegate AI Centre, the aim is to cultivate AI specialists and to promote mutual cooperation for industry–academia research and research and academic exchange in IT and convergence fields. It is also expected to invigorate organic industry–academia cooperation between the University and Smilegate and joint research by the two organizations.

▲ Commemorative photograph from the Smilegate AI Centre plaque unveiling ceremony

Nang Jong-ho, co-director of the Smilegate AI Centre, expressed his expectations for the centre's opening: "With the Smilegate AI Centre at the heart of it, we intend to cooperate actively not only on joint research between Sogang University and Smilegate but also on jointly run courses, cultivating industry specialists, industry–academia projects in key research areas, and internships and field placements. Undergraduates in the Department of Artificial Intelligence will be admitted next year, and the opportunity to conduct joint research with Smilegate as an undergraduate will be a great help in strengthening their AI capabilities."

Smilegate Chairman Kwon Hyuk-bin said: "I hope the Smilegate AI Centre becomes a space where students experience industry trends first-hand, and I encourage them to pursue their dreams here to the full. As they make active use of these facilities, Smilegate too will be able to draw inspiration from the students, and it will be an opportunity for growth for both organizations."

▲ Kwon Hyuk-bin, Chairman of Smilegate (Electronic Engineering '92)

The University admitted the first cohort to the graduate Department of Artificial Intelligence in the spring 2022 term, and will establish an undergraduate Department of Artificial Intelligence next year. What distinguishes the University is that it not only teaches the theory needed for artificial intelligence but also runs a curriculum of AI convergence courses for applying that theory across various fields. It also provides practice-centred education in order to cultivate the talent that companies such as Smilegate require.

The College of Engineering in particular has built a GPU computing cluster and AI servers for AI graduate school teaching and practical training, capable of running the latest deep learning models, in order to cultivate outstanding AI professionals through hands-on practice. This makes possible a range of activities including assignments, projects, capstone design and participation in AI challenges in AI courses, and by securing this deep learning practical capability the University will demonstrate excellence in AI education.

▲ (From left) AI servers; inside the Smilegate AI Centre

Source: Sogang News https://sogang.ac.kr/gopage/goboard1.jsp?bbsConfigFK=143&pkid=535188