Chief Scientist welcomes Tenstorrent team to Cyprus

Chief Scientist Demetris Skourides has welcomed the visit to Cyprus by a team representing US tech giants Tenstorrent.

In a post on his social media, Skourides said, “The visit of the Tenstorrent team in Cyprus lead by Eric Duffy and Isaac Salameh following the meeting of H.E. President Nikos Christodoulides and Jim Keller in California confirms that strategic partnerships require more than Vision, they require Commitment and execution! This visit not only confirms the commitment, it sets the foundation for the vision to be executed.”

“Building on the vision,” Skourides continued this his post, “this week we had the opportunity to host the delegation in their first visit that was focused on discovering the ingredients that are instrumental in making partnerships successful, the ingredient boils down to human capital, and for high tech companies such as Tenstorrent it's all about engineers, r&d experts, researchers, the commercial landscape and much more.”

As noted by the Chief Scientist, “Throughout the short visit that lasted less than 36 hours we have had the opportunity to showcase not just the excellent quality of research that is being undertaken in the University of Cyprus and the Cyprus university of technology, labs, and select engineering centers, but also the passion, the innovative spirit of deans, vice rectors, heads of engineering schools, directors of Centers of Excellence. The meetings were held with the support of the Ministry of Digital Policy of Research and Innovation. It was all about providing a first snapshot, an introduction to our innovation ecosystem, more will follow.”

“In a world where change is the only constant and where new technologies such AI are disrupting every industry, redefining capabilities and services in pursuit of President Nikos Christodoulides visionary, commitment and drive in support of Cyprus vision 2035, and Brain Gain that focuses on attracting back Cypriot talent are key to success,” Skrourides continued, adding, “As we revise our National AI strategy, we are also investing strategically through a strategic playbook centered on 1. Building Strategic infrastructure through partnerships and initiatives to accelerate R&D and goverment innovation. 2. human capital - and development of the workforce of the future. 3. Data 4. The operational fabric that orchestrates and brings everything together, 5. Development of an ecosystem comprised of Innovators, Builders, Orchestrators, and Consumers.”

He also gave a special thank you to the Mayor of Nicosia Charalambos Prountzos “for hosting us and explaining his vision of the City and the digital ambitions, (Invest Cyprus CEO) Marios Tannousis for his support and all colleagues, researchers who have demonstrated that albeit our size, our focus on Research excellence, Innovation excellence is exceptionally high.”

In his own post, meanwhile, Duffy, Senior Director Business Development, Tenstorrent said, “Isaac Salameh and I had the pleasure of continuing discussions following the President of Cyprus’ recent visit with Jim Keller at Tenstorrent’s HQ in Santa Clara, California.”

“This productive follow-up, organized and led by Chief Scientist Demetris Skourides, brought together stakeholders from across the Cypriot innovation ecosystem,” Duffy continued, “We'd especially like to thank the President and the broader leadership team, including Deputy Minister to the President Irene Piki, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation & Digital Policy Nicodemos Damianou, PhD, and Evgenios Evgeniou of Invest Cyprus - CIPA, for a constructive meeting hosted at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia.”

As Duffy noted, “We’re now working toward the next steps in establishing Tenstorrent’s presence in Cyprus—an initiative focused on AI co-innovation, talent development, and sovereign computer infrastructure.”

“During our visit to Limassol, Nicosia, and Larnaca, we had the opportunity to meet with exceptional researchers and leadership at Cyprus University of Technology (Michael Sirivianos and team), University of Cyprus (Chryssis Georgiou and team), KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence, CYENS Centre of Excellence (Yiorgos Chrysanthou), CMMI - Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (Ioannis Kyriakides), and Mayor of Nicosia Charalambos Prountzos. A sincere thank you again to Demetris Skourides for his tireless coordination and leadership throughout,” he concluded.

Both Skourides and Duffy, meanwhile, noted that more would be following in the coming weeks.