The Fraunhofer IKS, which emerged from the former Fraunhofer Institute for Embedded Systems and Communication Technology ESK on December 1, will become a central component of the "Artificial Machine Intelligence" competence network of the Free State of Bavaria. Six new professorships will be created for the work of the institute, four of which will be at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Guests of honor at the opening ceremony were Bavaria's Minister President Dr. Markus Söder, Minister of State Hubert Aiwanger, the President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Prof. Reimund Neugebauer and the President of the Technical University of Munich Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann.

Minister President Dr. Markus Söder said at the opening ceremony: "Artificial intelligence is the steam engine of the new digital world. With Hightech Agenda Bayern, we are turning Bavaria into a leading AI district. We are creating 100 AI chairs throughout the state - as many as the federal government as a whole. The new Fraunhofer Institute for Cognitive Systems is a central pillar in our network. This is the innovation engine for Industry 4.0 and autonomous driving."

Prof. Reimund Neugebauer, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, added: "New developments based on artificial intelligence are crucial for our economic future and our long-term positioning in international competition. A key prerequisite for successfully transferring these new technologies into application and the market is confidence in their security. With its research in the field of 'Safe Intelligence', the new Fraunhofer IKS is sending out a clear signal in this regard and complementing our expertise in this strategically important field of research."

The new Fraunhofer Institute will initially focus on the development of resilient cognitive systems, resilient AI and AI for autonomous systems. In addition to the two Munich universities TUM and LMU, other partners in the competence network include various scientific and research institutions in Munich, Erlangen, Würzburg, Augsburg, Bayreuth, Ingolstadt and Amberg-Weiden.