Zobel-led Ayala Corporation has entered into a partnership with the UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation Inc. (UPERDFI) to advance collaboration and capability building on artificial intelligence (AI) and data science.
In a statement, Ayala said the partnership seeks to support the UP College of Engineering’s AI Program, the country’s leading education institution focused on this field, through scholarships and research funding for graduate students, as well as funding for faculty AI projects. The partnership will run through 2026.
“Through the Ayala and Nation-Building Projects, Ayala teams and UP Engineering faculty can collaborate to develop solutions for the most pressing needs of the industry and the nation,” said Maria Antonia Tanchuling, Dean of the UP College of Engineering.
She added that “through this collaboration ably supported by Ayala Corporation, we shall endeavor in delivering impactful projects to benefit our country and our people.”
Ayala has a dedicated Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence team (AC Analytics), which leads data and analytics work across the Ayala Group, focusing primarily on building data maturity, analytics capacity, and data solutions, especially for emerging business units.
As such, its said AC Analytics is essential to helping fulfill Ayala’s purpose of building businesses that enable people to thrive.
"AI and data science are critical to generating insights and ideas for better decision-making that can help us deliver on our purpose to build businesses that enable people to thrive,” said Ayala Managing Director and Group Head for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Karl Kendrick Chua.
He added that “we appreciate the opportunity and are excited to work with UP in advancing knowledge in these fields that benefit both industry and the country.”