IBM will donate a powerful version of its Watson computing system, a repeat winner on long-running quiz show Jeopardy! in 2011, to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) for research and development in big data, analytics and cognitive computing. The supercomputer already has been used in health care, analyzing thousands of pages of the latest medical research, suggesting diagnoses and treatments, etc.; and in financial services.
IBM says that Watson has a unique ability to understand the subtle nuances of human language, sift through vast amounts of data to provide answers.
“Access to the Watson system will enable new research in cognitive computing as it relates to a diverse range of scientific and engineering fields,” said Shirley Ann Jackson, president of RPI. “The experience of working on Watson will give our students an advantage as they compete for the best jobs in Big Data, analytics, and cognitive computing.”
Gartner estimates that the U.S. will create 1.9 million big data jobs by 2015 – which means that experience with a cutting-edge system like Watson may well become a valuable skill in the marketplace. Get the rest of the story (Forbes.com).
