DENSO announced it has become an industry member of the Montréal-based Institute for Data Valorization (IVADO).
The institute fosters collaboration between private and academic researchers to cultivate and expand the expertise of its members in cutting-edge fields such as data science, operational research and artificial intelligence (AI). As the automotive industry continues to shift toward emerging areas such as automated driving, cloud computing and AI, DENSO will leverage IVADO’s research talent and capabilities to enhance its push into deep learning, data mining, cybersecurity and more, the company noted.
The announcement supports DENSO’s long-term plan, which is in part focused on expediting company innovation by broadening its research and development (R&D) capabilities outside of Japan. It also comes after DENSO and officials from Québec and the government of Canada announced in January the opening of the company’s Montréal Innovation Lab, its first site in the city. Much like DENSO’s work with IVADO, the lab will concentrate on accelerating innovations in advanced technology such as AI for mobility.
“A partnership with IVADO made perfect sense. DENSO has had a presence in Canada for nearly five decades and we recently opened our Montréal Innovation Lab, which focuses on researching next-generation technologies that will significantly impact future transportation,” said Pat Bassett, vice president of DENSO’s North American Research and Engineering Center. “As data and AI become more prevalent with the advent of automated and connected cars, tapping IVADO’s expertise helps DENSO maintain industry leadership and best serve our customers.”
Additionally, the partnership offers DENSO access to innovative professional trainings, strategic research partnerships with major networks and consortiums, and increased interaction with Montréal’s massive data-valorization community. Collaborating with this community, which features an array of dynamic organizations that are diverse in perspective and talent, increases DENSO’s capacity to innovate quickly and furthers its diversity and inclusion efforts.
In turn, IVADO is able to utilize DENSO’s rich automotive expertise and add another partner that is committed to supporting its framework on equity, diversity and inclusion in data science.
“We are thrilled to partner with such a well-established, storied automotive company that is dedicated to creating new value in the mobility space,” said Gilles Savard, CEO of IVADO. “At IVADO, we are chiefly focused on supporting the discovery of new knowledge and creating new business opportunities in four specific fields, one of which is transportation. Bringing DENSO into our ecosystem will continue to foster knowledge exchange and collaborations between everyone within our network.”
