Empire AI comes online, as research begins and supercomputing center goes out to bid

Empire AI’s proverbial switch has been flipped. 

And while the ceremonial lever pulled by Gov. Kathy Hochul on UB’s Downtown Campus Friday only lit up an illuminated sign, she and other officials stressed that the computing power right beneath their feet was very much coming online.

They announced that the $400 million statewide consortium’s initial computing power has been installed at UB’s Center for Computational Research (CCR) on the Downtown Campus, allowing members to begin harnessing artificial intelligence for the public good this fall, 18 months ahead of schedule and while the larger, permanent supercomputing center is built on the North Campus. 

The new computing system, which officials said already represents some of the strongest computing power in the nation, is courtesy of a philanthropic contribution from the Simons Foundation, one of Empire AI’s private partners, and investment from New York State.

“To some, it may just look like a tangle of wires and dark trays with blinking lights, but it’s nothing short of a revolution in the way we learn and work and interact with each other. In fact, it’s like the heart beating in a body with the cadence of advancement and pumping technology and the future through its veins,” Hochul told those gathered for the announcement. “Join me on this journey as we go boldly where AI in New York has never gone before.”

Officials also announced the consortium recently launched a request for proposals (RFPs) for Empire AI’s new supercomputing center to be constructed at UB and has begun receiving bids. Consortium members toured two possible sites on the North Campus in July, including a site located off Service Center Road near the power substation and another off Flint Road near the Chilled Water Plant.

Hochul said she hopes to have the center constructed within 18 months to two years, adding that the facility’s initial footprint may be expanded in the future.  

“Because of Gov. Hochul’s visionary leadership, the generosity of the Simons Foundation and the support of the state Legislature, New York State now has the computing power needed to advance artificial intelligence research. Empire AI will put New York State at the epicenter of AI innovation,” said President Satish K. Tripathi. “This game-changing initiative will enable researchers across the consortium to use the power of AI to solve some of our world’s most troubling problems. UB is very proud to be the home of Empire AI.”

Starting this fall, Empire AI consortium members will leverage the initial computing at CCR to address major societal challenges, from climate change and food insecurity to drug discovery and educating students with learning disabilities. 

Consortium members have already submitted more than 100 responses to Empire AI’s call for proposals, opened earlier this month, officials said. Proposed research includes accelerating basic science in technologies like fusion reaction and microelectronics, as well as building ethical and safe AI models and combating misinformation. 

Tom Secunda, another one of Empire AI’s philanthropic backers, praised the work of UB and the Simons Foundation to get the initial computing systems up and running just six months after $275 million in funding for the consortium was included in the state budget.

“Empire AI will not only speed up discovery but create new kinds of discovery, and now that academic institutions have an 18-month head start, we’re that much closer to the next scientific breakthrough,” he said. 

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. noted UB’s long history as a leader in AI innovation, including developing the first automated, handwriting-recognition system that has saved the U.S. Postal Service billions of dollars.

“Not if, but when we do this right, AI will be a tool for humans to create a healthier, more sustainable, more active, more inclusive and democratic, and yes, even more entertaining world — a world of extraordinary wonder that I cannot thank you all enough for working to make a reality right here at the University at Buffalo,” King said.

Another announcement made Friday was that Stony Brook University’s Robert J. Harrison has been appointed as interim executive director while a national search is conducted for the consortium’s inaugural permanent leader. Harrison is a professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics at Stony Brook and founding director of the Institute for Advanced Computational Science.

It was also announced that Empire AI has been formally incorporated as a New York nonprofit corporation and that an Empire AI board of directors will include representatives from the state, SUNY, CUNY, Cornell University, Columbia University, New York University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.