From Code to Hardware: How MSU Is Building a New School of Robotics
A new approach to education is emerging at Lomonosov Moscow State University: the Faculty of Artificial Intelligence, established in 2025, is moving beyond a purely AI-focused model.
The first cohort of students is set to enroll in 2026, but the university has already announced plans to develop its own robotics platform – from robotic dogs and drones to humanoids and autonomous systems.
The university rector authorized the creation of a new division – Fakultet iskusstvennogo intellekta (Faculty of Artificial Intelligence) – in 2025. The move is aimed at strengthening Russia’s scientific base and training specialists capable of competing at a global level in AI.
The new faculty is part of one of Russia’s leading universities and supports advanced education, research and real-world deployment of artificial intelligence technologies.
Students will study AI as a technology integrated into physical systems rather than as abstract software. This creates a learning model still uncommon in Russia, where fundamental mathematics, machine learning and robotics intersect with project-based work and industry case studies.
Why the New Faculty Was Created
Space missions involving probes and rovers depend on automation and robotics. At the same time, the use of intelligent systems continues to expand across industries on Earth. The integration of AI into production is widely seen as part of the fourth industrial revolution.
In high-tech industries, this shift shows up in several areas: cognitive technologies, predictive analytics, digital transformation and AI-driven data collection and processing. In industrial systems and process control, it also includes adaptive user interfaces, improved safety and efficiency in human-machine collaboration, and better awareness of operating conditions within control systems. These applications require intelligent equipment with embedded AI and control systems capable of adapting production tasks in real time alongside human operators.
Such systems are particularly important in environments where direct human involvement is not feasible. One example is outer space, where the space industry has long driven advances in human-robot interaction.
Why It Matters for the Industry and the Country
The scale of this initiative extends beyond the university itself. It reflects the emergence of an integrated model at one of Russia’s leading institutions, combining fundamental mathematics, AI, robotics and applied project work.
For Russia’s IT sector, this is important because the market needs not only model developers but engineers who can deploy AI in real-world systems, including industrial robots, autonomous vehicles, drones and service robotics. This approach reflects national priorities aimed at accelerating AI development and building a skilled workforce.
In the context of Russia’s drive for technological sovereignty, the model strengthens domestic expertise in AI and robotics, reduces reliance on imported capabilities and supports the formation of interdisciplinary teams. For citizens, this may result in new applications in logistics, healthcare, urban infrastructure and industrial operations.
A Step Toward Global Competitiveness
Globally, leading universities – from Stanford to Carnegie Mellon – invest in physical centers where education, research and commercialization are tightly integrated. Russia is taking a similar approach: following Innopolis and HSE, MSU is strengthening its robotics capabilities. The project’s success hinges on sustained funding, access to components and strong industry partnerships. If the robotics platform becomes a functional R&D base, pilot solutions for autonomous systems and industrial automation could start appearing within two to three years.
This is not a breakthrough by itself, but it raises the chances of new research, open-source tools, engineering solutions and globally competitive specialists emerging in Russia. It also contributes to the development of embodied AI, one of the fastest-growing areas in the global technology landscape.
The faculty aims to train highly qualified specialists who meet global standards in artificial intelligence and can address complex scientific challenges while developing innovative solutions. The university says it will achieve this goal.
