According
to a report by Bangkok
Post, Chulalongkorn University (CU) and King Mongkut’s Institute of
Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to
offer the first double bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence (AI) and
robotics engineering in the country.
The MoU
is the first collaboration between local universities. This also signals a
change in mindset that local universities no longer see each other as
competitors, but potential collaborators to improve the quality of their
programmes and to cut operational cost.
The
partnership will see the two universities sharing their resources and
expertise. The 4-year program will be heavily project-based. Upon completion
and graduation, students will be awarded 2 degrees, from both CU and KMITL.
According
to KMITL, as quoted by the Bangkok Post, Thailand now only has 2,000 AI and
robotics engineers while the demand for qualified individuals in this field set
to rise to 10,000 per year.
Previously,
the Thai Government announced that it is aiming for an investment of US$6
billion (200 billion Baht) over the next five year to develop the robotics and
automation industries. At the same time, the development plan also aims to
reduce the import of robotics and automation systems by about US$3.97 billion
(132 billion Baht) on an annual basis.
As reported
earlier, AI and robotics engineering are crucial growth industries identified
in the Thailand 4.0 vision. The programme supports the Government’s vision by
producing a pool of AI and robotics engineering talents to the sector,
especially as the country is facing shortage in skilled talents in the
industry.
The
4-year programme will start admissions for 40 students this August.
Feature image: ICAPlants/ CC BY-SA 3.0
