Toronto, Ontario — May 8, 2017 — Uber has announced that Toronto will be home to its first Advanced Technologies Group branch outside the US.
Raquel Urtasun will head up Uber’s efforts in Toronto. Urtasun is an associate professor at the University of Toronto. According to a statement from Uber, she is one of the world’s leading researchers in the fields of machine perception and artificial intelligence. In particular, Urtasun’s work focuses on developing the software that allows self-driving cars to recognize objects so they can navigate smoothly and safely.
Uber’s Toronto Advanced Technologies Group branch will be located in the MaRS Discovery District, a start-up and innovation hub for the city.
“By setting up shop at the MaRS Discovery District, we hope to draw from the region’s impressive talent pool as we grow, helping the dozens of researchers we plan to hire stay connected to the Toronto-Waterloo Corridor,” said Uber in a statement. “With support from the Ontario and federal governments, Toronto has emerged as an important hub of artificial intelligence research, which is critical to the future of transportation.”
The statement from Uber further notes that Urtasun and her team will further strengthen the company’s self-driving engineering efforts in San Francisco and Pittsburgh
