- The aim of the initiative is to create a connection between university research and scalable infrastructure for open artificial intelligence systems.
- Workshops, hackathons, scholarships and open source projects will also be part of the effort, which will last four years.
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Zero Gravity (0G), a decentralized artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure company, have announced a S$5 million partnership to establish a joint research center for the advancement of blockchain-based artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that will be more accessible and accountable.
Multiple initiatives exploring decentralized artificial intelligence training, blockchain-integrated model alignment, and consensus mechanisms for proof-of-useful-work will receive funding as a result of this milestone, which represents 0G’s first university partnership on a global scale.
The aim of the initiative is to create a connection between university research and scalable infrastructure for open artificial intelligence systems. These systems will differ from traditional AI systems, which are closed and controlled by private companies.
For example, instead of artificial intelligence systems operating on closed servers, where the processing and results are not visible, the use of blockchain technology will make it possible to record and verify each stage of the process, starting with the training phase and ending with the output.
0G Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Michael Heinrich and NTU Vice President of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Professor Louis Phee jointly unveiled this research center today.
“Open and trustworthy AI depends on a foundation that is decentralized and accountable,” says Prof. Phee. “NTU has built world-class expertise in blockchain systems, cryptography and computing. By working with 0G, we aim to design an innovative, next-generation AI stack that enables global participation and transparency for all.”
A $40 million seed round of investments was led by Hack Ventures and included participation from Delphi Ventures, OKX Ventures, Samsung Next and Animoca Brands. 0G recently revealed that it has received more than $325 million in committed funding.
“Our mission is to make AI a public good,” said Michael Heinrich, CEO and co-founder of 0G. “By working with NTU, we are joining a global leader in blockchain and computing research to go beyond centralized AI monopolies. Together we will build an open ecosystem where developers, institutions and communities can contribute, verify and audit.”
Professor Wen Yonggang, also Dean of the Graduate College and Associate Provost of Graduate Education at NTU, and Dr. Ming Wu, 0G co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, will work together to ensure the success of the collaboration.
Their teams will work to develop decentralized computing architectures and secure artificial intelligence marketplaces that will compensate participants for providing data and computing resources.
Workshops, hackathons, student fairs and open source projects will also be part of the effort, which will last four years and will be designed to cultivate the next generation of decentralized artificial intelligence talent in Asia.
Early proof-of-concepts are expected to be developed within the first two years, with pilot applications targeting the areas of finance, healthcare and smart infrastructure.
With a view to providing research leadership in the areas of scalable model training, artificial intelligence governance and blockchain-enabled security frameworks, NTU’s College of Computing and Data Science, as well as its Center in Computational Technologies for Finance (CCTF), will be responsible.
This agreement will position Singapore as a center for the development of open and trustworthy artificial intelligence, and will also pave the way for future international cooperation in decentralized intelligence.
The Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) is a public university with a strong emphasis on research. There are 35,000 students enrolled in its undergraduate and postgraduate programs, including those in business administration, computer science and data science, engineering, humanities, arts and social sciences, medicine, science and graduate colleges.
NTU is also home to a number of leading research centres, including the Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute and Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N). NTU is also home to a number of world-renowned autonomous institutes, including the Singapore Center for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies and the National Institute of Education.
Using the NTU Smart Campus vision, the university can harness the power of digital technology and solutions enabled by technology to promote enhanced learning and living experiences, the discovery of new knowledge and the sustainability of resources.
Although often ranked among the best colleges in the world, the university’s main campus is also often ranked among the most beautiful campuses in the world. Known for its commitment to sustainability, NTU has achieved the level of Green Mark Platinum accreditation for each of its qualified construction projects. In addition to the main campus, NTU has a medical campus in Novena, Singapore’s healthcare district.
To enable a fully democratized future of intelligence, 0G is the first purpose-built decentralized artificial intelligence protocol (AIP). As a Layer 1 that is both modular and infinitely scalable, 0G makes it possible to run decentralized artificial intelligence applications at scale. To support the next generation of AI-native use cases, it unites powerful decentralized storage, computing and data availability (DA). We are laying the foundation for an open and unstoppable artificial intelligence economy with 0G’s verified artificial intelligence processing and permissionless agent ecosystem.