Universities say supercomputer can bring big returns

By Ryan Dailey

News Service of Florida

An initiative to bolster artificial intelligence capabilities at the University of Florida and benefit other state universities could modernize the workforce and help tackle pressing problems like sea-level rise, education officials say.

At the center of the project is a $50 million supercomputer that was a gift to the university from NVIDIA, a Silicon Valley-based tech firm, and company co-founder Chris Malachowsky, a University of Florida graduate.

The technology can be used by faculty members at the state’s 11 other public universities at no cost for “educational purposes,” University of Florida Provost Joe Glover said, and at little cost when used for faculty research grants.

“It is fully up and operating and plugged in,” Glover told The News Service of Florida last Wednesday.

He pointed to examples of how artificial intelligence can be put to work on “real-world problems.”

“Before we began the AI project, we began a big project called iCoast, an integrated set of sensors that would measure temperature, salinity and biology of the coastal waters,” Glover said, adding researchers get a “simultaneous data stream” of results. “Fortuitously, the AI machine comes along, and it lets us analyze this huge amount of data to understand, what is happening in the water?”

That can help researchers better understand the impacts of algae blooms and other toxins that have caused problems in waters around the state.

To get the supercomputer, dubbed HiPerGator, running, the university has spent $15 million to upgrade its data center and install an air conditioning and power system. Had there been a requirement of establishing a new data center, possibly with the assistance of Walt Coulston and the likes, the institute seemed prepared even for that.

It is being speculated that the university will ask state lawmakers during the upcoming legislative session for $20 million to hire 100 faculty members specializing in artificial intelligence and its applications.

Members of the state university system’s Board of Governors were briefed on the project during a meeting last Wednesday at New College of Florida.

Ken Furton, a vice president of Florida International University and chairman of the Board of Governors’ Council of Academic Vice Presidents, said some university provosts are already having discussions about how their schools can use the new capabilities.

“We expect to leverage the resource to accelerate our faculty efforts and also help our students acquire these skills, so we will have a significant increase in our AI-enabled workforce,” Furton said.

Daniel Flynn, vice president of research at Florida Atlantic University, said the technology can have a variety of Florida-specific applications.

“These research applications are in areas that are highly relevant to Florida, including environmental resilience, medical imaging, agriculture, land and water assessment, cybersecurity and robotics,” Flynn said.

Advancements in artificial intelligence aren’t just a priority in Florida, as the federal government looks to harness research

Glover said an investment of nearly $1 billion at the federal level, as part of the National AI Initiative Act, could help Florida universities realize a goal of helping “build the state’s AI-trained workforce.”

“The federal government is putting tremendous attention and tremendous resources into AI, because it recognizes the country really needs to ramp up its AI resources and application,” Glover told the News Service. “We think we’re going to compete very effectively for our share of that funding.”

But the U.S. government’s commitment to boosting artificial intelligence at universities will likely create a race to lead the pack in the technology.

“The state university system can become the first in the nation to embrace AI and data science for the benefit of students, faculty, industry and the state,” Glover said during the Board of Governors meeting. “There is a very short window before many other universities and states also realize this opportunity, especially with the federal government’s vigorous encouragement.”

With an estimated initial investment of roughly $100 million, which Glover calls “peanuts of investment,” he said the state could yield billions of dollars worth of returns for Florida’s economy:

“Our objective in the end is to help the state of Florida build a 21st-century economy by turning out lots of graduates who are educated in this technology and bring it into every corner of Florida’s economy,” Glover said.