Academics from the University of Leeds are involved in the creation of a £2m cloud computing hub that aims to foster innovation in the sector.
The Communications Hub for Empowering Distributed Cloud Computing Applications and Research - known as CHEDDAR - has attracted £2m investment from Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and will look at cloud technologies of the future. Researchers from five other universities will be involved in the project, which aims to nurture new ideas, explore new tech to support emerging computer capabilities such as quantum and molecular computing, and design systems that link humans and machines.
Dr Syed Ali Raza Zaidi, associate professor of communication and sensing in Leeds’ School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, said the research was working towards harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning. He said: “This will allow us to not only increase the efficiency of current deployments but also allow us to reduce the energy footprint of future deployments while supporting new services. CHEDDAR also aims to contribute towards the shortfall of digital skills and bridge the digital divide by developing human-centric design principles for future technologies."
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CHEDDAR's team is being led by professor Julie McCann of Imperial College London and also features researchers from the universities of York, Durham, Cranfield and Glasgow. Prof McCann said: “During the recent pandemic we came to appreciate the great work of the medical sciences, while our communications technologies were quietly supporting our work and providing social lifelines.
“Looking forward, we have new ways of working using artificial intelligence as well as neuromorphic computing, where we model computer systems after the brain, and quantum computing. These different technologies have varying demands on communication networks, and indeed networking is changing with the various technologies that make up new initiatives such as 6G.
"CHEDDAR will bring all this together to drive research and networking across the UK academic community to facilitate the connection of UK excellence, early career researchers, and brave new ideas in this field."
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