Exploring radio with Machine Learning – Summer in the Labs
Hi Sven! What do you do as an intern at Ericsson Research?
Hi! I work with the Machine Intelligence unit. We do many things here, such as explore the use of machine learning methods within the Radio Access Network – the network between the core network and your mobile device. The objective is to solve problems within the Radio Access Network that is otherwise hard to solve using normal methods. As with many types of supervised machine learning problems, we are trying to replace a complex, unknown function with an approximate function found through processing many examples. Our aim is that we will be able to automate that specific process within the Radio Access Network with the benefit of increasing the performance and decreasing the costs.
An interesting project that I have been thrown into this summer is a project regarding how we should work to promote good quality, reproducible research within Ericsson. This project is centered around improving both the tools that we use to make it easier for researchers to do their research, but also methods and workflows that encourage research to be shared among colleges and making it simpler to learn from each other's work.
Name: Sven Anderzén
Unit: Machine Intelligence - Machine Learning
Education: Degree Program in Computer Science and Engineering at Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
Location: Kista, Sweden
Age: 21
What do you find interesting about the research area you're involved in?
Machine learning has received a huge surge in interest over the past couple of years – and rightfully so. Lots of research is going in to the field and the methods and applications are constantly evolving. This makes for an interesting time to be active within the machine learning area, since there's always something new to learn and try out.
What do you find interesting about working at Ericsson Research?
Firstly, I really enjoy the people working here at Ericsson. They are passionate about what they do and you learn something new from your colleagues every day. Secondly, the size of Ericsson reveals many new interesting application areas where you can explore the use of machine learning within different areas.
I've always had a deep interest in computers and technology since I was young and I was fortunate enough to get in touch with Ericsson during my studies at KTH this year. I didn't know much about Ericsson at that time, but when the opportunity came along to do an internship here during the summer I took it – which I don't regret doing for one second!
What challenges have you faced?
Coming from a computer science background, my exposure to radio technology has up to this point been very limited. I was nervous that this would be a problem at first, but it didn't turn out to be that big of an issue thanks to the people working here. If there is something I don't fully understand, there is always someone around that does and is more than willing to help explain it to me.
Soon the semester starts again. What will you remember about this summer?
One of the main things I will take with me from this summer is the importance of constantly learning and challenging yourself. There is so much that I don't know. But, on the flip side, this has also given me some much-needed motivation to continue my studies.
What do you do when you're not working?
I like spending time with my friends and family. Other than that, I enjoy reading and going for a run or a swim whenever the weather allows.
Facts about Kista
- Kista is a district in the city of Stockholm, Sweden's capital
- Latitude/Longitude: 59.4024° N, 17.9465° E
- Location of Ericsson Headquarters
- Hosts departments of KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University
- Named after an old farm "Kista Gård", still located in the area