Corning, an American materials science technology company, has opened a research and development centre in Montreal, focused on discovering and developing software solutions for the telecommunications industry.
“Montreal is emerging as a major centre of software innovation, and Corning is glad to be part of it.”
-Claudio Mazzali
The Corning Technology Center Montreal will be Corning’s global centre for software innovation, by supporting artificial intelligence, data analytics, augmented reality, cloud computing, and solutions for optical-wireless networks. Software engineers from Corning’s R&D arm will work alongside developers from Montreal-based iBwave Solutions, a software solutions provider that Corning acquired in 2015.
“Montreal is emerging as a major centre of software innovation, and Corning is glad to be part of it,” said Claudio Mazzali, senior vice president of technology for Corning’s Optical Communications business division. “The work that will take place here in our Montreal technology centre will extend Corning’s innovation capabilities beyond optical transport and connectivity, all the way to the intelligence required to deploy and enable those applications.’
The Montreal location is a part of Corning’s network of R&D laboratories that operate in North America, Europe, and Asia. Over the next three to five years, Corning intends to hire a team of development team managers, data analysts, and software engineers for the Montreal centre. The centre’s first emphasis will be on software solutions for telecommunications networks, but it will eventually become a hub for software innovation across all of Corning’s business verticals.
“We are delighted to see Corning, one of the world’s most innovative companies, joining the thriving technology community in Montreal, further raising the region’s profile as a hub for software research and development,” said Valérie Pisano, president and chief executive officer of the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms.
The company said, on top of the direct applications in Optical Communications systems, new capabilities in software and AI would support Corning’s strategy in materials and process informatics and modelling across its technologies and businesses.
Related: Thales launches AI lab with IVADO, MILA, and Vector Institute
The Corning Technology Center Montreal is looking to connect with the Montreal region’s software-innovation ecosystem through membership in IVADO, an AI-powered start-up based in Montreal, which is set to receive new funding from the Quebec provincial government, as outlined in the province’s 2019 budget.
“Our data science ecosystem will greatly benefit from collaborative projects with the Corning Technology Center Montreal, bridging academic expertise and business needs,” said Gilles Savard, chief executive officer of IVADO. “We are thrilled to welcome Corning as our newest IVADO member and look forward to working together on developing innovative digital solutions for the telecommunications industry.”
Image courtesy Corning.