• The proposal for the UDC-Inditex Chair of AI in Green Algorithms received the second highest score among the 21 projects provisionally estimated by the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Function as ENIA chairs.
•  The Ministry’s resolution entails the granting of funding, with nearly 900,000 euros, for the development of the project until December 31, 2025.
•  The team members of the chair consist of 20 members, 16 of whom are affiliated with CITIC.

A group of researchers from the Universidade da Coruña and the Center for Research in Information and Communication Technologies (CITIC) has secured the chair in Green Algorithms, one of the 21 ENIA (National Strategy in Artificial Intelligence) chairs granted by the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Function, formerly the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation. The latter was the one who, through the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, called for grants to finance university chairs dedicated to research, dissemination, teaching, and innovation on AI.

One of the themes eligible for funding under this call was research methods that seek to reduce the environmental impact of computer applications, as well as their use to find sustainable solutions, better known as “green algorithms”. This category was chosen by the group of UDC researchers, led by computer science PhD Verónica Bolón Canedo, to present their project in collaboration with the textile multinational Inditex: the UDC-Inditex Chair of AI in Green Algorithms.

According to Verónica Bolón, “the incorporation and collaboration with the multinational Inditex within the framework of this chair will allow us to address new challenges faced by the industry and, on the other hand, serve as a platform to test and scale the results generated within the framework of the chair”. In this regard, “Inditex is incorporating AI, automation, and big data into its business strategy and supply chain as a decisive commitment”, she adds.

The team members of the chair consist of 20 members, 16 of whom are affiliated with the Center for Research in Information and Communication Technologies of UDC (CITIC). According to Manuel G. Penedo, the director of the center, “this news represents a great boost in positioning CITIC as a strategic agent in the area of artificial intelligence. It is a way to showcase the talent of the center’s staff, who are great references in green algorithm research”.

Of the total group, 10 are women and 10 are men. Specifically, the members of the research group in the area of Artificial Intelligence are Verónica Bolón, Amparo Alonso, Bertha Guijarro, Laura Morán, Vicente Moret, Brais Cancela, and Juan Rabuñal. As experts in Big Data and Databases, Susana Ladra and Nieves Brisaboa. Patricia Faraldo in Law; Margarita Alonso in Linguistics; Adrina Dimitru in Psychology, Isabel Novo Cortí in Economics, and Jorge Rodríguez Álvarez in Urban Planning.

In the field of Natural Language Processing, the researchers are Carlos Gómez and David Vilares; in High-Performance Computing, Jorge González; in Robotics, Richard Duro; Javier Tarrío in Statistics, and Luis Castedo in Signal and Communications.

The promoter of the chair, Verónica Bolón, emphasizes that its creation represents, at a scientific level, the union of AI researchers who already have a broad track record of collaboration within the framework of CITIC’s activities. “This combination of multidisciplinary researchers will undoubtedly help to address new lines of research and solve the problems and challenges identified in the field of green algorithms”.