History

The history of our team began in the Informatics Department of the Computing Center (Novosibirsk). This department was created and headed by Academician Andrei Ershov. For many years it has been one of the leading Soviet teams in the field of computer science and programming. A. Ershov also initiated the creation of the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in his department (1974) and appointed A. Narin’yani to be its director. Alexander Narin’yani originated a great deal of the studies that were later transformed into key research and development projects in several Russian organizations.

The AI Lab successfully worked as a part of the Informatics Department, participated in the legendary Soviet computer project called START, earned international recognition and became one of the «founders» of the Institute of Informatics Systems (IIS). LEDAS team is proud of our relationship and cooperation with this institute.

In 1991, A. Narin’yani with a group of his co-workers established the Russian Institute of Artificial Intelligence (RRIAI). Until 1999, the leading members of LEDAS team actively participated in the key research projects of this institute, as well as of the AI Lab in the Institute of Informatics Systems. In 1998-2000, our field of research continued to grow and mature and this, combined with a broad range of new ideas, results, opinions, positions, and ambitions, has resulted in the next generation of organizations descending from the Informatics Department, one of them being LEDAS.

Our participation in the international investment project S3 (1999-2001) was of decisive importance. Within this project, several industrial prototypes for high-technology software products were built, and a number of key architectural and algorithmic solutions were developed and implemented. The most strategically important result of this project for us was the invaluable contacts with successful players in the international market, such as Exigen, Genesys, Transnet, Krestgroup, and Nowagrowth. The S3 project gave birth to our close partner — the outsourcing company Sib3

Dassault Aviation and Dassault Systemes are world-famous companies that have had crucial effect on our studies in the area of developing intelligent components for modern CAD systems. Our cooperation with these companies since 1996 gave our researchers an opportunity of practical experience in the industrial software market.

LEDAS today has about 30 staff members of high qualifications. LEDAS has all the necessary state-of-the-art professional tools, such as hardware, software, and infrastructure. The company is working in the creative and cultural atmosphere of the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok.