MCML at the Bay Area

In March 2026, the Munich Center for Machine Learning participated in a Bavarian economic delegation to the San Francisco Bay Area. Under the theme “Applied AI and the AI Ecosystem,” Thomas Meier, Science Manager for Collaborations and PhD Coordinator at MCML, represented the center in a series of institutional visits and expert exchanges with leading organizations at the forefront of artificial intelligence research and application.

Visits and Exchanges

The delegation included meetings with some of the most influential actors in the global AI landscape. At Anthropic, discussions centered on responsible AI development and the shared challenges of building safe and reliable AI systems. A visit to NVIDIA provided insights into the hardware and infrastructure layer that underpins modern AI at scale. Conversations with Waymo shed light on the state of autonomous mobility and the role of machine learning in real-world deployment. An exchange with Sima AI offered perspectives on physical AI and the growing field of embodied intelligence. With representatives from OpenAI we talked about collaboration formats for our PhD community in Munich.

In the life sciences domain, the delegation met with representatives from Illumina to explore the intersection of AI and genomics. Coordination with the German Center for Research and Innovation San Francisco (DWIH SF) further strengthened the institutional framework for transatlantic research collaboration.

Connecting With the MCML Community

A visit to Stanford University provided the opportunity to meet with MCML-affiliated PhD students currently conducting research in the Bay Area, underscoring the international reach of the center’s academic community and the importance of maintaining close ties with researchers beyond Munich.

Outlook

The delegation reinforced MCML’s commitment to building bridges between Bavarian research excellence and global innovation ecosystems. The contacts and insights gained during this visit will inform future collaboration initiatives and contribute to the center’s ongoing international engagement.

MCML thanks Bayern International and the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs for their support in facilitating this delegation.