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Rochester is the first integrated health system in the consortium, which brings together leading research institutions across New York State.
The University of Rochester is joining other public and private research institutions in New York State in the Empire AI Consortium, as announced by New York State Governor Kathy Hochul.
Empire AI is bridging the gap between researchers, public interest organizations, and small companies to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence centered in public interest. Enabling this pioneering AI research and development helps educational institutions incubate the AI-focused technology startups of the future. Over $400 million in public and private funding has been committed to Empire AI, much of which will be used by the consortium to operate a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence computing center in Upstate New York for use by member institutions.
Announced in January 2024 and launched in April 2024 by Hochul, Empire AI is designed to secure New York’s place at the forefront of artificial intelligence research. The consortium is leveraging a $275 million state investment to launch a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence computing center on the University at Buffalo’s campus to be used by consortium institutions to promote responsible research and development, create jobs, and advance AI for the public good. This past October, Hochul launched the first phase of Empire AI thanks to a philanthropic contribution from the Simons Foundation. Housed at the University at Buffalo, the Empire AI Alpha system has already enabled more than 200 researchers across the member institutions to begin work focused on areas such as climate change and resilience, health disparities and interventions, accelerating drug discovery, democratizing education for all populations, and tackling global food insecurity and urban poverty.
“The United States is in a race with China and the rest of the world in the global AI revolution and with our first-in-the-nation Empire AI Consortium, New York is leading the way in research and innovation,” Hochul says. “With Empire AI we will not only position New York as the tech capital of the world, but also set the standard for harnessing the power of AI for the public good and ultimately create a better future for New Yorkers.”
Steve Dewhurst, the vice president for research at the University, says, “AI is rapidly changing our lives in fundamental and profound ways. That’s why we are so excited to join Empire AI to leverage our incredible assets and strengths in AI and supercomputing. In partnership with our state’s leading experts, we can enhance how we learn, discover, heal, and create, while harnessing our collective strengths to best position New York to lead and benefit from this technology. I am grateful to Governor Hochul for her leadership and vision in creating this innovative collaboration and look forward to working with our partners.”
Notably, the University of Rochester will become the first integrated health system in the consortium, meaning that AI-powered medical research will be vastly improved and consortium researchers will have unparalleled access to medical technologies and information.
Other institutions joining Empire AI as part of this recent expansion are the Rochester Institute of Technology and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai in New York City.
Expanding artificial intelligence across New York State
Access to the computing resources that power AI systems is prohibitively expensive and difficult to obtain. These resources are increasingly concentrated in the hands of large technology companies and other global competitors, which maintain outsized control of the AI development ecosystem. As a result, researchers, public interest organizations, and small companies are being left behind, which has enormous implications for AI safety and society at large.
By increasing collaboration between New York State’s world-class research institutions, Empire AI is creating efficiencies of scale not achievable by any single university, empowering and attracting top-notch faculty and expanding educational opportunity, and giving rise to a wave of responsible innovation that will significantly strengthen our state’s economy and our national security.
The initiative is funded by over $400 million in public and private investment, including a $250 million state capital grant investment and $25 million over ten years in SUNY funding. The project will also receive more than $125 million from the founding institutions and other private partners, including the Simons Foundation, whose Flatiron Institute works to advance research through computational methods, and Tom Secunda, cofounder of Bloomberg LP and the Secunda Family Foundation, which provides millions of dollars a year in grants to conservation, health care, scientific advancement, and other causes.
State Senator Jeremy Cooney says, “The Rochester region is fortunate to have nationally renowned universities on the cutting edge of technological research like Rochester Institute of Technology and University of Rochester. Today’s announcement from Governor Hochul that these institutions will be bringing their expertise to the Empire AI consortium is a win for our universities, their students, and our area as a whole. With the inclusion of RIT and University of Rochester, area researchers will be leading the way on AI innovation and helping to establish New York on the forefront of this vital work.”
Assembly member Harry Bronson says, “Congratulations to the Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester on joining the Empire AI consortium. This collaboration will connect the Rochester region to the world-class talent and cutting-edge technologies needed to prepare the workforce of today and tomorrow and ensure these universities continue to lead the way in pioneering technological advancements. As chair of labor, I recognize that this initiative is critical to growing our economy by guaranteeing we have the expertise and qualified workforce required for nation-leading research and education.”
AI at Rochester
The University of Rochester is one the nation’s leading research institutions with internationally recognized research and education in artificial intelligence and cognitive science, machine learning, and high-performance computing. The University is unique among Empire AI consortium members in that it is the only integrated health system; with eight hospitals, it is the largest health care system in Upstate New York. The University of Rochester Medical Center has already been exploring and implementing forms of AI to support clinical operations and transform health care.
The University is also home to New York State’s only Center of Excellence in Data Science and AI, dedicated to supporting businesses in the state through the application of data science methods and tools that solve challenges and deliver critical insights. Thanks to support from New York State, Rochester is also among the most powerful university-based supercomputing sites in the world, and recently purchased a former IBM facility to use the property’s existing tier three, high-end data center to support advanced computing and research activities.