[LINK] InnAus: 'CSIRO boss explains why seL4 team was dumped'

[David]

On 2022-01-05 05:53, Christian Heinrich wrote:

<> On Mon, 7 Jun 2021 at 15:07, Roger Clarke <Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au> wrote:
>> CSIRO chief executive Dr Larry Marshall has explained why the agency sensationally dumped the team behind the seL4 microkernel, saying he did not believe it was feasible to spin out the research in Australia and that it didn’t fit with the agency’s new focus on AI.
> 
> https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6884058083404984320/
> 
> TL;DR - Formerly of AustCyber now Head of Global Growth, CSIRO

What on earth did Larry Marshall mean by "spin out the research in Australia"?

And for that matter, why didn't SEL4 "fit with the agency’s new focus on AI"?  I wonder whether he thinks traditional deterministic computing won't be needed when AI takes over?

I certainly wish Prerana Mehta well as Australia doesn't have a great record when it comes to commercialising the practical results of pure research, which we do very well given reliable funding.

However CSIRO appointments which seem focused on finance, marketing and global growth while starving the Universities of research funding, closing down CSIRO research into greenhouse warming, and flogging public assets like SEL4 to overseas companies at bargain prices seems too close to conservative Government ideology IMO.  No pure research, no global growth, Scotty!

David Lochrin