AsianScientist (Mar. 26, 2013) – Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and Fujitsu Limited have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore the creation of the first Center of Excellence (CoE) for computational social science and engineering in Singapore.
The MOU was signed today at Fujitsu’s Tokyo headquarters between Dr Raj Thampuran, Managing Director of A*STAR, and Mr Kenji Ikegai, Corporate Senior Executive Vice President and Representative Director of Fujitsu, in the presence of Mr S. Iswaran, Singapore’s Minister in Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Home Affairs, and Second Minister for Trade and Industry.
The CoE, which is expected to start running by the end of this year, aims to identify technological solutions for sustainable urban development – such as transportation management and energy efficiency – using high performance computing (HPC)-enabled technologies based on real-world data.
Both Japan and Singapore face similar challenges and demands on infrastructure and energy usage, and they will need to develop long-term urban sustainability solutions to ensure high standards of living, ample work opportunities for the populace, and quality economic growth.
The Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) will lead the collaborative effort within A*STAR by drawing upon its capabilities in HPC-enabled analytics of real-world data, as well as its knowledge of complex systems and social behavior. Fujitsu will leverage on its knowledge on big-data and supercomputing-enabled simulation to pursue joint research work within the CoE.
“This collaboration marks another milestone in our long-term partnership with Fujitsu and we are excited that they have taken this opportunity to expand their activities in Singapore,” said Professor Alfred Huan, Executive Director, IHPC.
“By participating in building a smart city through the use of high-performance computing and big data, Fujitsu’s goal is to develop new skills and practical experience, create the next generation of solutions, and establish new business models for global or ASEAN companies moving into Singapore,” said Mr Masahiko Yamada, President, Technical Computing Solutions Unit, Fujitsu Limited.
Other partners in this CoE include the National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF), and Fujitsu Laboratories Limited, Fujitsu’s R&D organization. The partners will convene across a series of workshops, projected to start next month, to identify the research themes to be jointly studied by the CoE.
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Source: A*STAR; Photo: chooyutshing/Flickr/CC.
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