$70 million will help the university greatly enhance its technology programs
A massive partnership between NVIDIA, the popular PC and tech company, and the University of Florida (UF) promises to make a revolutionary investment in artificial intelligence (AI). The school announced the new agreement yesterday, adding that it will bring technology to UF’s research team, so AI can be used to create tools to favor those projects. This partnership is worth $70 million, and part of that money will be granted in the form of state-of-the-art equipment, as well as AI developments.
“The University of Florida is a top-tier public research university, and I commend NVIDIA for using this opportunity to form this public-private partnership that will exponentially leverage the prior and current investments by the state and federal government in our research at institutions of higher education,” said Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Out of the total investment, a $25 million donation comes from UF alumnus Chris Malachowsky and another $25 million from NVIDIA that will be invested in hardware, software, training and services. The other $20 million is being provided by UF, which will create a center dedicated to AI that will be home to the world’s fastest AI supercomputer in higher education.
The partnership also includes an expansive plant to improve the impact of the research done by UF, as well as teaching and economic development. This collaboration paves the way for more public-private collaborations to take place in the future. “UF’s leadership has a bold vision for making artificial intelligence accessible across its campus,” said UF alumnus Chris Malachowsky, who serves as an NVIDIA Fellow. “What really got NVIDIA and me excited was partnering with UF to go broader still, and make AI available to K-12 students, state and community colleges, and businesses. This will help address underrepresented communities and sectors across the region where the technology will have a profound positive effect.”
