The 2nd edition of the Advanced Computing Contest: Artificial Intelligence in the Cloud, which runs from June 1 to July 26, 2023, will provide 1 million US dollars in credits on the Google Cloud platform to research, innovation or development projects.
This call for proposals is part of the collaboration agreement between FCT and Google, which aims to support research projects in the field of Artificial Intelligence in Portugal. The support translates into the provision of credits in Artificial Intelligence (AI) services on the Google Cloud platform and makes it possible to complement the existing support provided by the FCT through the RNCA - National Network for Advanced Computing.
As in the 1st edition, it is intended to provide support to research and development projects that use the Google Cloud Platform offer in the following areas:
- 80% of the resources are reserved for the areas of Natural Language Processing and AI Ethics;
- 20% of the resources are reserved for the remaining scientific areas using the Google Cloud Platform offering in Artificial Intelligence and data analysis algorithms, or more if there are not enough applications to fill the quota mentioned in the previous point.
If the resources requested in the aforementioned areas do not exhaust the computing resources available in the competition, the remaining part may be allocated to any other areas.
Applicants must choose the type of access that best fits their computing project. Fixed Access accepts projects up to 25,000 USD and Variable Access accepts projects up to 150,000 USD. It is up to the applicant to justify the need for computing resources, with the help of Google Cloud's online calculator.
Public or private institutions that develop R&D activities, companies that develop R&D activities, and individuals operating in Portugal who wish to develop advanced computing projects in any scientific area may apply.
On June 22nd Google Cloud Day Lisbon will take place in Lisbon, where it will be possible to attend keynotes, business talks and technical sessions, led by Google Cloud experts, partners and industry leaders, which will address several topics such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data, Security, Sustainability, Productivity and Collaboration.
On June 15, an online information session will be held so that candidates and interested parties can clarify their doubts about the types and resources in the competition. Details of this session are available at https://rnca.fccn.pt/cpca-iac-info-session-registration/.
