The commencement of the construction of the BENEFIT Advanced Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Computing at UoB 

In Cooperation with BENEFIT Bahrain 

The commencement of the construction of the BENEFIT Advanced Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Computing at UoB 

The President of the University of Bahrain (UoB), Prof. Riyad Yousif Hamzah, announced the commencement of the equipping and construction of the “BENEFIT” Advanced Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Computing in the College of Information Technology at the University, which is expected to be completed by October of this year 2021. 

Prof. Hamzah expressed his pleasure with this cooperation, saying that UoB seeks to contribute directly to the growth and development of the Bahraini economy, stressing that the establishment of the laboratory will contribute to enriching the infrastructure to be suitable for conducting scientific research projects by using modern and pioneering methods in artificial intelligence and computing. 

For his part, the CEO of BENEFIT Bahrain, Abdulwahid Janahi, expressed BENEFIT Bahrain’s pride for its contribution to supporting scientific research in artificial intelligence, computing, and advanced studies at UoB. In this context, as Janahi stated that “We are very proud of our role in establishing one of the most important scientific initiatives, in line with national orientations and consistent with the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, which is focused on the interest in the knowledge economy, cloud computing and artificial intelligence initiatives. Hoping that the laboratory will have a national role in serving various sectors under the supervision of UoB”. 

On her part, the Dean of the College of Information Technology at UoB, Dr. Lamya Mohammed Al-Jasmi, said that the completion of this laboratory will be significant for researchers and development projects in the financial, service, and industrial fields alike, noting that the College of Information Technology aims to modernize laboratories and specialized equipment available to researchers and professionals, to conduct research projects to open innovative areas and methods and find solutions to raise the efficiency of production and services. 

Furthermore, Dr. Al-Jasmi stated that “The College of Information Technology has expanded its undergraduate and postgraduate programs, with new master’s programs in artificial intelligence and machine learning, a doctorate in computing and information sciences, a master’s in cybersecurity, a master’s in software engineering, and a master’s in information technology.” 

The Advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Computing Laboratory aims to become a national resource and a source of inspiration for artificial intelligence researchers, students, and businessmen. Also, it will enhance the computing capacity required for advanced modern and future technologies and enable students and researchers to conduct advanced learning and research processes in the field of artificial intelligence. 

In addition, the laboratory will meet the high-performance computing needs of UoB and other national research organizations for the next decade, as well as the high-performance computing needs of postgraduate programs offered by the College of Information Technology at UoB, such as master’s programs in cybersecurity, software engineering, big data, and the doctorate in computing and information sciences, among others, which require the development of computing capabilities and the creation of national laboratories specialized in artificial intelligence. 

UoB and BENEFIT Bahrain signed a memorandum of understanding on February 2021 aiming for cooperation between the two parties to establish the “BENEFIT Advanced Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Computing” at the University, with the support of BENEFIT Company, after obtaining the approval of the honorable Council of Ministers to establish the laboratory at UoB.