AT&T® and Tech Mahindra Join Hands for Open Source AI Project

The name Linux Foundation still implies focus on the Linux kernel. However, the foundation has long become a service group that aims to help the other open source groups like the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, Cloud Foundry, Node.js Foundation, etc., to run their own projects and foundations. The group is now adding a new project named the Acumos to their stable.

The Acumos project was started by AT&T^® and the consulting and outsourcing firm from India, Tech Mahindra. The Linux Foundation now hosts the Acumos project.

The project does not yet share any codes with the outside developers and the idea of the project is to make “an industry standard for making AI apps reusable and easily accessible to any developer.” The project aims to build a common platform and framework to exchange machine-learning solutions. It is not yet clear what the solution will exactly look like.

“Artificial intelligence is a critical tool for growing our business. However, the current state of today’s AI environment is fractured, which creates a significant barrier to adoption,” said Mazin Gilbert, who is the Vice President of Advanced Technology at AT&T^® Labs. “Acumos will expedite innovation and deployment of AI applications, and make them available to everyone.”

The announcement also puts special stress on networking which is not a surprise as AT&T^® is involved in the project. Nevertheless, how that will make the Acumos platform “user-centric, with an initial focus on creating apps and microservices” is not yet clear and we will have to wait to know the details. Tech Mahindra and AT&T^® are now working out the structure of governance for the project. It is a standard procedure and they are looking for other businesses to join the project.

AT&T^®, one of the best internet providers of the country, has been engaged with many open source communities, which include communities that are already hosted by Linux Foundation. The communities include the Open Networking Automation Platform and the OpenStack project. Tech Mahindra is also a member of the Open Networking Automation Platform.

AT&T^® says that they see the Open Networking Automation Platform as the basic model for the new Acumos project. In the opinion of experts in the field of telecom industry, the collaboration between AT&T^® and Tech Mahindra has set a good example for all the other internet providers in the country.