The first edition of AI Alliance’s ranking came along in 2023; ever since, ITMO has been ranked among its leaders. The ranking is based on data, both open-source and collected at each university. AI Alliance conducted three independent surveys, reaching out to 150+ companies, as well as students, and universities.
“The main condition for technological leadership and accelerated implementation of AI technologies into our economy is efficient training of AI specialists that takes into account their future roles in AI development. At ITMO, we equip students with competencies and skills that will be useful in solving complex yet specific ranges of tasks. Therefore, we successfully train not only mathematicians who can build fundamental AI models – but also AI product managers who deliver ready-made solutions into the market,” says Vladimir Vasilyev, the Rector of ITMO University.
For that purpose, ITMO implements the AI Talent Hub project that aims to reach a new level of advanced training in AI through practice-oriented online studies. Moreover, last year, ITMO partnered up with Yandex, Sberbank, and other leading Russian universities to launch AI360: ML Native – a Bachelor’s program for future AI architects and researchers who can develop new fundamental models, architectures, and ML algorithms. Also, the university actively integrates modular courses in AI into its educational programs. The university’s experts believe AI proficiency will soon become one of the key competencies on the labor market, therefore, these courses are offered within not only programming, but also physics, chemistry, biology, analytics, management, and some other fields. Students work with LLMs, use AI to automate technological processes and solve tasks in biotechnology and pharmaceutics, as well as develop complex solutions for industrial and service robotics.
In 2025, ITMO became one of the top Russian universities that will be training world-class AI specialists in 2025-2030. The university will receive around 350 million rubles in grant funding to develop top-level educational initiatives, which will be available for students of the following Bachelor’s programs: AI360: ML Native, Computer Technologies, AI Engineering, Software Engineering, and Neurotechnologies and Programming. Additionally, ITMO University is working on a role-based competency model for training AI specialists, as requested by the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media. Such competency models are expected, inter alia, to serve as a backbone of the country’s new higher education system.
One of the university’s strategic projects within the Priority 2030 program focuses on the development of AGI (artificial general intelligence) technologies; AGI is a type of AI that can self-train, adapt to unfamiliar scenarios, and solve any cognitive tasks humans can do. By creating new AGI-based development tools, ITMO will not only make AI more affordable and widespread for different businesses – but also secure its niche on the high-tech market.
In 2021, ITMO University opened the Research Center “Strong AI in Industry” where researchers develop GenAI-based technologies for management in the industry. Its key partners are Gazprom Neft and the association AI in Industry, founded with support from Gazprom Neft.
Earlier, three of ITMO’s educational programs were certified by AI Alliance: Master’s programs Deep Learning and Generative AI and Big Data and Machine Learning, as well as the continuous education program Big Data and Machine Learning for Qualified Client Service.
