Andrew NG Launches Office in Medellin, Hoping to Make the Most of Local Talent

Chinese American computer scientist Andrew NG has established an office in Medellin, saying the Colombian city offers all the resources for accelerating his AI (artificial intelligence) companies.

Currently, a computer science professor at Stanford, Andrew runs three AI companies: Landing AI, deeplearning.ai, and AI Fund.

The new office is already staffed with around 50 professionals, most of whom are foreigners, coming from countries including Egypt, Bangladesh, Poland, and Chile.

The professor says he will increase the headcount to in excess of 200 over the next two years.

In a statement, Andrew said he chose Medellin due to the city’s growing talent pool, good education system, and the business ecosystem.

“Colombia is on a trajectory to become a hub of AI in Latin America,” Andrew stated, adding that the Andean country has been ‘making smart moves’ in building up its tech ecosystem.

Colombia is home to many startup accelerators such as Ruta N. Moreover, the new government in the country has recently announced a plan to equip its young graduates with skills in new technologies, including machine learning, deep learning, and python.

The World Economic Forum has also opened its first Latin American Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Medellín to identify and update public policies for AI and other emerging technologies.

Andrew’s AI Fund is piloting an AI education initiative in Colombia with an aim to develop and connect the local talent with international companies.

“We are able to share our AI ecosystem and Silicon Valley know-how with Medellín; we’re equally thrilled for our Silicon Valley team to be learning from the Medellín community,” Andrew added.