NVIDIA Announces Multiple Investments in Higher Education. NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang emphasized the potential of AI as a "collaborator" as he broke ground on a $213 million comprehensive research building at his alma mater, Oregon State University.
Image courtesy of Oregon State University.
In a recent conversation with Oregon State University President Jayathi Murthy, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said AI has the potential to bring the benefits of the digital revolution to billions of people around the world.
More than 2,000 faculty, student, and staff gathered here to hear Huang and Murthy talk. "I believe AI is the greatest contribution that technology can make to society's progress, and it will help disadvantaged people improve their lives," Huang said. ”
The conversation culminated in the groundbreaking ceremony for a new research building at Oregon State University. The new building will be named after Huang and his wife, Lori, both alumni of Oregon State University.
The building will help Oregon State continue to grow at the intersection of the semiconductor industry, high-performance computing, and other industries.
Image courtesy of Oregon State University.
The event was held at the Huang couple's joint innovation complex
（Jen-Hsun Huang and Lori Mills Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex）奠基之后举行。
These innovations have the potential to change the world.
Huang said people who know programming languages like C++ generally have more opportunities.
"Because programming is a very difficult job, the number of people who benefit from it and earn income is limited. ”
AI breaks down that barrier and opens up even more possibilities.
"It's like you're basically having a partner and a mentor at every moment, so I think AI is going to dramatically improve the lives of all the disadvantaged people," Huang added. ”
Huang's appearance in Corvallis, Oregon, was the perfect wrap-off to a series of NVIDIA launch events. This further underscores NVIDIA's commitment to providing advanced AI, data science, and high-performance computing training for the workers of the future.
Not long ago, Georgia Tech unveiled a new supercomputer powered by NVIDIA. It will prepare undergraduates to solve complex challenges using AI and high-performance computing (HPC).
Later this month, NVIDIA founder Chris Malachowsky will participate in an event inducted into the University of Florida's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Hall of Fame. Previously, the university's Malachhowski Hall of Data Science and Information Technology was inaugurated in November at a cost of $150 million.
Preparing future leaders for the "New Industrial Revolution".
NVIDIA has invested in universities for decades, providing them with computing resources, advanced training courses, donations, and more.
These grants enable students and professors to gain access to the high-performance computing they need to achieve breakthrough results at critical moments in the industry's history.
"We are at the beginning of a new industrial revolution," Huang said. I say this because the Industrial Revolution produced something new that was impossible in the past. ”
"In this new world, you can generate a whole bunch of floating-point numbers with electricity. We call them tokens, and they're AI. ”
"Therefore, the core of this industrial revolution will be ultra-large-scale intelligent manufacturing. ”
Oregon State University Research Complex breaks ground at a cost of $213 million
The event highlighted the Huangs' commitment to education and their deep ties to Oregon State University. It was at this university that Huang and his wife met.
The conversation with Murthy follows the breaking of ground on the Huang couple's joint innovation complex at the Corvallis campus.
The 150,000-square-foot, $213 million complex will be ready for use in 2026. The $50 million donation from the Huang couple will be used by Oregon State University to support Oregon's semiconductor and technology industries, both locally and outside of the state.
The complex will be equipped with one of the nation's most powerful NVIDIA supercomputers, allowing students and faculty to work together to solve the world's biggest challenges in climate science, clean energy, water and more.
Huang believes the center and AI will help workers in a variety of disciplines leverage the benefits of computing.
Huang said Oregon State University is the world's premier forestry school, adding that "to be honest, there's a good chance that forestry workers don't know how to program." While not entirely impossible, I'm guessing it's highly likely that you're not good at C++. ”
And with ChatGPT, you can now "apply it to your scientific field through a computer and use this computing technology to revolutionize your work." ”
That makes learning how to think and how to work together more important than ever, Huang said: "It's like giving you a partner to solve problems with." ”
"But you still need to know how to collaborate, how to give prompts, how to ask questions, how to refine solutions, how to iterate, and how to change ideas. ”
The groundbreaking ceremony at Oregon State University is one of several global projects announced by NVIDIA dedicated to advancing the global technology industry.
Georgia Tech and NVIDIA have teamed up to create a new AI makerspace
The engineering department at Georgia Tech has established an AI supercomputing center dedicated to teaching students.
The AI makerspace was created in partnership with NVIDIA. Faculty leaders call it a "digital sandbox" for students to understand and use AI. Originally intended primarily for undergraduates, the AI Makerspace aims to make computing resources available to all, typically only available to researchers or technology companies.
The beginning of a new world
Of course, there are limitations to AI, Huang said: "It's no different than when you're working with a colleague or lab partner. You both know each other's weaknesses and strengths, so you can learn from each other. ”
However, Huang also said now is the perfect time to get an education and prepare for the workforce.
"Now is the beginning of a new world and the best time to read," he said. The whole world is changing, and all sorts of new technologies, abilities, tools, and ways of learning are emerging, aren't they?"