AI: Ambient Intelligence or Another Idiocy?

We often hear the world is evolving towards ambient intelligence. Is this another buzzword like artificial intelligence with which it shares the abbreviation AI? What are the properties of ambient intelligence? What will be needed from a technological point of view? Electronic devices in an ambient intelligent environment should combine power efficiency with run-time flexibility. These are conflicting requirements. Re-configurable devices could be an answer, but what should be their properties? What is IMEC's contribution towards implementing an ambient intelligent environment?

Rudy Lauwereins is vice-president of IMEC, Belgium's Interuniversity Micro-Electronic Centre, which performs research and development, ahead of industrial needs by 3 to 10 years, in microelectronics, nano-technology, enabling design methods and technologies for ICT systems. He leads the DESICS division of  185 researchers, currently focused on the development of re-configurable architectures, design methods and tools for wireless and multimedia applications as required for creating an ambient intelligent world with smart networked mobile devices. He is also a part-time Professor at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, where he teaches Computer Architectures in the Master of Science in Electrotechnical Engineering program.

Before joining IMEC in 2001, he held a tenure Professorship in the Faculty of Engineering at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven since 1993, after a short stay at IBM's Almaden Research Centre, San Jose, CA. He had obtained a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 1989. In 2001, he was elected by students as the best teacher of the engineering faculty's Master's curriculum.

Rudy Lauwereins served in numerous international program committees and organizational committees, and gave many invited and keynote speeches. He is vice-chair of the board of DSP Valley and member of the board of several spin-off companies. He is a senior member of the IEEE. Professor Lauwereins has authored and co-authored more than 300 publications in international journals and conference proceedings.