In a world rapidly embracing artificial intelligence (AI), Russia's strides in the AI domain are becoming increasingly significant. The country's journey in AI innovation and implementation has garnered attention, with implications not only within its borders but also on a global scale, particularly in Central Asia.
AI Market Growth and Government Funding
In 2022, the AI market in Russia reached a milestone, generating a revenue of 647 bn rubles (over $7.1 bn), marking a 17% increase from the previous year (Statista, 2023). This growth is underpinned by the revenue surge of core AI companies and reflects the burgeoning potential of AI in the Russian economy. The global AI market, too, is poised for substantial growth in the coming decade, indicating a thriving future for AI enterprises (Statista, 2023).
Concurrently, the Russian government has significantly increased its investment in AI. From 2021 to 2023, around 16.5 bn rubles (over $181 mn) were earmarked for AI development. This funding supports a range of initiatives, including national AI pilot projects, small enterprise support, and AI-based hackathons using government datasets (Center for Security and Emerging Technology, 2023).
Healthcare: A Prime Beneficiary
A notable area of AI application in Russia is healthcare. Approximately 16% of Russian healthcare organizations have adopted AI, with many still in the pilot project phase. Innovations in this sector include data extraction, mobile health, predictive analytics, digital twins for patient modeling, AI in nursing staff training, and the development of surgical robots (Turing Post, 2023).
Global and regional implications
Russia's AI advancements hold significant implications for global technology dynamics. The country's commitment to AI echoes President Vladimir Putin's 2017 statement that the leader of AI would rule the world. By 2021, the government had allocated 1.4 billion rubles for AI development grants and announced plans for an AI development directorate under the Ministry of Defense, focusing on autonomous combat robots (Turing Post, 2023).
However, Russia's AI growth also underscores the need for Central Asian countries to develop their own AI strategies to remain competitive and technologically sovereign. As AI becomes increasingly central to economic and military power, regional players must invest in AI education, research, and industry to keep pace.
Supercomputing and Global Rankings
In terms of supercomputing capacity, Russia was ranked 12th globally as of June 2023. The country has ambitious plans to improve its standing, aiming to roll out up to ten supercomputers by 2030 (HPCwire, 2023; Yahoo, 2023). This advancement in high-performance computing is crucial for AI development, as it provides the necessary infrastructure for complex AI computations and simulations.
Looking Ahead: Russia's AI Future
As Russia continues its journey from being AI-ready to AI-native, the government expects that by 2030, the country will be among the top 5 globally in key AI metrics and contribute significantly to its GDP through AI applications. The anticipated GDP increase from AI could amount to 11.2 trillion rubles (over $123bn).
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