CMA CGM and AUB join forces
to establish an AI Institute

$10 million donation for establishment and endowment

CMA CGM and AUB are joining forces to advance AI, Data Science, and Innovation, anchored by a $10 million donation from the shipping magnate. The partnership will establish and endow the CMA CGM Artificial Intelligence and Insights Institute (AIII).

The Institute will advance interdisciplinary research and innovation at the intersection of computing, data science, and artificial intelligence (AI) with fields across the university, while driving entrepreneurship, shaping policy and practice, expanding capacity building, and creating strategic international collaborations.

Its research will be organized in part through thematic clusters, including the CMA CGM Data, Decisions, and Operations Cluster, focused on: Logistics and network design, forecasting and yield management, research computing and automation, resilience and disruption management, and sustainable operations. AIII will also contribute to the development of the next generation of AI and data science talent in Lebanon and across the region through specialized educational offerings, upskilling certificates, professional diplomas, and hands-on learning opportunities.

“To remain relevant, it is vital for a university to recognize when the world is changing, and to then have the courage and imagination to change with it,” said AUB President Fadlo Khuri. “For 160 years, AUB has sought to… take knowledge and put it to work in service of people and society. That mission has taken many forms over the decades. And today, it is taking another exciting new step with the School of Computing and Data Sciences,” he said. Khuri said that CMA CGM’s continued support as “an extraordinary vote of confidence in AUB and Lebanon.”

Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman of CMA CGM, said: “It is our first academic partnership of this scale in AI, combining AUB’s academic excellence with CMA CGM’s operational expertise to address key challenges for our industry. AI will be central to the future of CMA CGM and Lebanon, and this partnership reaffirms our confidence in Lebanon’s youth and our ambition to help train the talents who will shape that future.”

The CMA CGM Artificial Intelligence and Insights Institute will take shape alongside the broader build-out of the School of Computing and Data Sciences. The school will comprise more than 25 core faculty members, including 18 new faculty lines, and offers BS, MS, and PhD degree programs with the first cohort of students joining in fall 2027.