2.6.24 - UAlbany to Install First Computing Cluster of IBM Prototype Artificial Intelligence Hardware on a University Campus
' Today, the University at Albany announced it will be the first academic institution in the world to receive a prototype computing cluster specially designed by IBM Research for artificial intelligence applications.
The IBM Artificial Intelligence Unit (IBM AIU) is a prototype system-on-a-chip architecture that has been optimized for AI inferencing — the process of running live data through a trained AI model to solve a task — and will be installed at UAlbany as part of the Center for Emerging Artificial Intelligence Systems (CEAIS). CEAIS is a research collaboration with IBM that enables students, faculty, and others to run foundation models and advance generative AI research.
Last month, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the formation of the Empire AI Consortium, an ambitious public-private partnership designed to ensure New York leads in AI research and development, job creation and the responsible adoption of the technology focused on advancing the public good. SUNY is a founding partner in the consortium, and UAlbany, which also is currently building a state-of-the-art AI supercomputer on campus, will play a critical role in advancing New York’s leadership in developing artificial intelligence solutions and talent.
“UAlbany is proud to be the first institution in the world to receive this cutting-edge technology, and we are grateful to IBM for their continued collaboration,” said UAlbany President Havidán Rodríguez. “We are committed to using the IBM AIU to expand the frontiers of AI-powered research. This system will support our innovative AI Plus initiative, through which researchers are using AI to help improve weather prediction and tumor diagnostics, secure wireless communications, expand forensic investigation capabilities and much more. We look forward to working with Gov. Hochul through her Empire AI Consortium and beyond to cement New York’s leadership in AI technology.”
“Albany is quickly becoming a global leader in technology innovation, and is where IBM continues to build next-generation computing technologies in areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and semiconductors,” said Mukesh Khare, GM, IBM Semiconductors and VP, Hybrid Cloud at IBM Research. “Critical to the continued development of these technologies is a skilled workforce. We are proud to collaborate with UAlbany to bring the IBM AIU to campus, enabling exciting educational and research opportunities in generative AI.” '