On AI360: ML Native
AI360: ML Native is Russia’s first educational program to combine the advanced experience of tech companies (Yandex and Sberbank) with the expertise of the country’s leading universities (ITMO University, the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, the Higher School of Economics, and Innopolis University). AI360: ML Native, unlike other programs, focuses on training experts who can create new core ML models, architectures, and algorithms. Over the course of training, students will study mathematical analysis, algorithms, data structures, and machine learning operations (MLOps), as well as learn to produce solutions for generative technologies, large language models, computer vision, autonomic systems, and robotics.
“The market is fighting for talents these days, and those who make breakthroughs in IT are shaping our future. Therefore, it is critical to have an intense educational environment that will bring together top-tier professors and Big Tech experts who have access to worldwide research and frontier technologies. And that is exactly the environment we intend to foster within our program that we’re launching together with Yandex, Sberbank, the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, the Higher School of Economics, and Innopolis University,” comments Daria Kozlova, the education director at Yandex.
The program allows students to become a part of the international AI community through attending top-tier conferences and completing their internships at top universities and AI companies. An academic board, which will operate within the program, will determine its development strategy, attract professionals, and assist the project participants in synchronizing and updating the curriculum. The board will include Yandex and Sberbank representatives, as well as the rectors of the universities.
What to expect
The main focus of the program will be on mathematics and machine learning. The curriculum was created by not just the university’s representatives but also experts from Yandex, Sberbank, and the School of Data Analysis. Classes will be taught by leading experts in AI, and developers of AI solutions and technologies. At ITMO University, the program will be implemented at the Information Technologies and Programming Faculty – the former home faculty of Gennady Korotkevich, the world’s most titled programmer and a repeated champion of international and national competitions in competitive programming. The program will be headed by Andrey Stankevich, an associate professor at ITMO’s Information Technologies and Programming Faculty, a coach to several generations of ICPC champions, and a chair of the jury of the national olympiad for school students in computer science.
Students will receive an enhanced monthly stipend of 40,000 rubles throughout their studies, as well as personal grants to use Yandex’s computer resources to conduct large-scale studies and experiments, as well as design ready-made solutions. As part of the academic mobility program, they will be allowed to take educational modules at other universities that take part in the initiative.
Career
Graduates of the program will be awarded a diploma of their alma mater. Upon graduation, they may opt to work in one of the following fields: AI (AI architects, AI operators, and AI CDOs), data science (data architects, data analysts, and data engineers), and machine learning (ML engineers, ML researchers, MLOps, and domain ML specialists. Within two to three years, graduates can rise to mid-level and senior positions at IT companies.
Requirements
The program at ITMO University is primarily aimed at recent winners and prize-winners of national olympiads in computer science and mathematics. In 2024, there were 90 computer sciences winners, 60 of whom were from Moscow. Prospective students with high USE scores are welcome to apply, as well.
