New Jersey signs agreement with NVIDIA to create supercomputer

At a press conference this morning at the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s Newark offices, the state, higher education institutions, NVIDIA and the NJ AI HUB signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the creation of a supercomputer and a partnership that will, according to Gov. Phil Murphy, shape the future of technology, especially artificial intelligence, and “ultimately unlock a whole new world of possibilities.”

The MOU will “create a statewide framework that will … advance AI education, workforce development, and research and innovation at scale so we can prepare New Jersey students, innovators and workers to take the [lead] in AI and not get run over by it,” Murphy said in what was perhaps his last press conference as governor.

Murphy read a statement by Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill who said her administration will support the initiative: “This project represents a historic opportunity to expand New Jersey’s economic and educational competitiveness and create a new hub of AI research and development in the Garden State. I am excited to work with all of the partners involved to move this project forward. It will take coordination and teamwork from partners across the state to ensure we maximize the return on investment for New Jerseyans.”

The investment is approximately $25 million that the NJEDA will manage and deploy. “The money will be used to support a statewide supercomputer initiative for New Jersey’s institutions of higher learning. This catalytic investment will help equip our students, researchers, and entrepreneurs with state-of-the-art resources to explore the possibility of generative AI and prepare for tomorrow’s economy,” Murphy said.

NVIDIA co-founder and New Jersey native Christopher Malachowsky said that the company’s aim is to further the state’s innovation initiatives. “[New Jersey] has put forward the AI Hub and great academic research institutions. … We will use our resources, our expertise, and assets to enhance that vision,” Malachowsky said. “We are going to enhance economic opportunities and maximize the benefit of what we can get from AI and avoid its downsides.”

Malachowsky credited Murphy for having an early vision of AI’s potential impact, saying, “Across the country, it is not common that someone would [make the investment] to ferret out what this new [technology] is and find out about its opportunities and start taking action; to start making investments and create an AI HUB and align schools and industries [in the same direction]. My hat’s off to you governor. We are proud to commit ourselves to working alongside [your state] and using our people and resources to go down this road together.”

Teik Lim, president of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, commented, “In real time, we are witnessing the power of generative AI and machine learning to transform industry and lives. We are in a technological revolution. The development of the NJ supercomputer initiative presents an opportunity for higher education, government, and industry to partner on a flagship, statewide approach to advancing shared AI infrastructure, education, and research capacity.

“Bringing together NVIDIA, [the state’s research institutions], the New Jersey Council of County Colleges and the AI HUB will marshal the states greatest intellectual and technological resources in this rapidly expanding field and chart a course for providing curricula collaborations, program expansions, AI skills training, infrastructure and platform designs, certifications and carer pathways, community engagement, and the development of an innovative ecosystem,” Lim said.

Read the full story on New Jersey Business Magazine here.