To ensure New York’s lead in AI transformation, Governor Kathy Hochul just announced the creation of a state-of-the-art computing center, titled Empire AI, to open in Upstate New York. The consortium will aid local leading institutions in their quest for research and development, job generation, and AI opportunity discovery.
Since computing resources that power AI systems are known to be quite expensive and primarily handled by large tech companies, Empire AI will mediate the gap between said large companies and individual researchers, public interest organizations, and small companies. Moreover, Empire AI will expedite AI development with the public interest of New York State in mind.
Columbia, Cornell University, New York University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the State University of New York (SUNY), the City University of New York (CUNY), and the Simons Foundation will make up the seven founding institutions of Empire AI. $400 million in public and private investment will fund the consortium in hopes to expand educational opportunity and strengthen New York’s economy and national security.
“Since the days of the Erie Canal, New York has always led the nation on technology and innovation,” Governor Hochul said. “The Empire AI consortium will be transformative: Bringing jobs and opportunity to New York and making us a global leader in this groundbreaking sector. Together with our partners in academia and the private sector, we’ll harness the power of artificial intelligence and ensure this technology is being used for the public interest.”
Moreover, The Office of Information Technology Services, as directed by Governor Hochul, released its first AI Policy, breaking down ways state agencies can use AI technology to benefit New Yorkers.
“The establishment of the first-ever statewide policy governing AI will serve as a roadmap to leverage this rapidly emerging technology to find maximum benefit while mitigating risk, and complement the extraordinary work our employees are already doing to benefit the people of New York,” added Dru Rai, New York State Office of Information Technology Services Chief Information Officer and Director.
Learn more about Empire AI here.