Research to Real Systems: Inside IFM’s Foundation Model Stack

Research to Real Systems: Inside IFM’s Foundation Model Stack IFM × AI Valley @ Carnegie Mellon How do frontier foundation models move from research papers to real systems? Join the Institute of Foundation Models (IFM) at MBZUAI and AI Valley for an evening exploring how modern AI systems are designed, deployed, and applied in the real world. This event brings together CMU researchers, students, and technical builders for a deep dive into frontier AI systems—from the development of foundation models to real-world deployment. The program will feature: A technical talk on research-to-deployment pipelinesA live demo and hands-on workshop with IFM’s PAN world modelNetworking and recruiting conversations with researchers from IFM’s global labs We invite you to join the MBZUAI × CMU WhatsApp community, where we’ll share internship and job opportunities, early access to future IFM models and APIs, and updates on upcoming U.S. campus events and hackathons. 👉 Join the WhatsApp group:https://chat.whatsapp.com/GmGEe2SPfZxH3HUaYwfeHj What to Expect 🧠 Technical Talk — Research to Real Systems How Foundation Models Move From Lab to Deployment Speakers: Hector Liu — Director, IFM Silicon Valley LabCarolyn Rosé — Professor, Carnegie Mellon University Topics include: Applied AI system design at IFMDevelopment of frontier models across language, multimodal reasoning, and world modelsCapabilities, reliability, and deployment tradeoffsExamples of applied systems in research and industry The session will conclude with audience Q&A. 💡 Students who ask questions will receive premium IFM swag. ⚙️ Hands-On Workshop — Exploring the PAN World Model Following the talk, participants will explore IFM’s PAN World Model, an emerging research direction for AI systems that reason about environments and interactions. Workshop led by: Zihan LiuTechnical Lead, PAN World Model — IFM Workshop flow: PAN world model demoGuided hands-on exploration of capabilitiesInteractive Q&A with researchers Participants can either actively experiment with the model or follow along conceptually. 🍽 Dinner, Networking & Research Opportunities After the workshop, join us for dinner and conversations with IFM researchers and AI Valley technical leads. This session is designed for: Discussions with IFM researchers and engineersLearning about internship and research opportunities at MBZUAIConnecting with builders and researchers across CMUContinuing technical discussions from the workshop Schedule 5:30 – 6:00 PMCheck-in, snacks, and networkingSwag distribution 6:00 – 6:10 PMOpening remarksJane Zhang — US Communications Lead, MBZUAI 6:10 – 7:00 PMTechnical talk / PanelResearch to Real Systems — How Foundation Models Move From Lab to Deployment 7:00 – 7:45 PMHands-on workshopExploring the PAN World Model 7:45 – 8:30 PMDinner, networking, and open discussion Swag Attendees can pick up IFM and AI Valley swag, including: AI Valley stickersMBZUAI × IFM stickersIFM T-shirts (available for attendees who join the MBZUAI × CMU community) About IFM The Institute of Foundation Models (IFM) at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) is a global research center advancing next-generation foundation models across language, multimodal reasoning, and world simulation. With research hubs in Abu Dhabi, Silicon Valley, and Paris, IFM develops scalable AI systems designed to move from cutting-edge research into real-world deployment. About AI Valley AI Valley is a community supporting exceptional builders, founders, and researchers through curated hackathons, workshops, and gatherings across AI and emerging technology. 🌐 https://aivalley.io📅 https://lu.ma/aivalley👥 https://discord.gg/QESCnSUPC9📰 https://aivalleyio.substack.com