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New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy joined Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber and representatives from Microsoft, CoreWeave, and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) to officially open the NJ AI Hub, a state-of-the-art, flexible space designed to foster innovation in artificial intelligence.
The new facility, located in space provided by the University on Alexander Road in West Windsor, attracted a standing-room-only crowd for the ribbon cutting. State and University officials were joined by representatives from the AI industry, New Jersey’s higher education and business communities, and local government.
“With the opening of the NJ AI Hub, we are moving forward in establishing New Jersey as a global leader in technology and innovation,” Murphy said in a news release. “By partnering with one of the world’s greatest academic and research institutions — along with industry leaders like Microsoft and CoreWeave — we are paving the way for groundbreaking discoveries and a new generation of economic growth that will create good-paying, sustainable jobs for the people of New Jersey. Together, we are building a stronger, more prosperous future for our residents and businesses alike.”
In bringing the Hub to fruition, state leaders worked closely with University Vice President and Secretary Hilary Parker, Provost Jennifer Rexford, Senior Strategic AI Hub Project Manager in the Office of the Provost Jeffrey Oakman, Dean for Research Peter Schiffer, Vice Dean for Innovation Craig Arnold, Assistant Vice President of State Affairs David Reiner and University Director of Real Estate Curt Emmich, who were all in attendance at the event.
Murphy and Eisgruber announced plans for the NJ AI Hub in December 2023. “On that rainy December morning, we announced that our shared vision for a hub would bring together researchers, industry leaders, startup companies and collaborators to foster AI innovation in central New Jersey,” Eisgruber recalled at the ribbon cutting. “Today, we are here to celebrate the manifestation of that vision as it comes to life.”
Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber (left) shakes hands with Governor Phil Murphy (right) at the ribbon cutting.
In the intervening 16 months, the NJ AI Hub has held a summit for more than 500 leaders from academia, government and industry, as well as multiple smaller gatherings, including a statewide education and workforce convening.
“For Princeton, the New Jersey AI Hub provides an extraordinary opportunity to advance our teaching and research mission and to pursue two of the University’s highest strategic priorities: advancing AI innovation and research and cultivating a thriving regional ecosystem,” said Eisgruber. “We are deeply committed to this region and to the state of New Jersey, and proud to be a part of this transformative effort.”
The goal for the Hub is to bring together AI researchers, industry leaders, startup companies, and other collaborators to advance AI research and development, ethical use of AI for positive social impact, and workforce training in applied AI, in collaboration with New Jersey universities, community colleges and vocational schools.
In January, Microsoft and CoreWeave joined the NJ AI Hub as founding partners.
“Today marks an exciting addition to New Jersey’s storied history of innovation,” said Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft.
“Today marks an exciting addition to New Jersey’s storied history of innovation,” said Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft. Microsoft will bring its TechSpark empowerment program to the NJ AI Hub. Founded in 2017, Microsoft TechSpark has helped secure more than $700 million in community funding for local innovation, trained 65,000 people in technology skills and created 4,500 jobs.
“What is exciting about this Hub is that it’s not only going to help a new generation of companies literally come to life,” said Smith, who is also a University trustee and member of the Class of 1981. “I think it will create new opportunities for people across New Jersey. That’s what we’ve seen in the TechSpark program elsewhere, and that’s the opportunity that we’ll help pursue here, to connect not only with the Hub, but with community colleges in the state, to help advance post-secondary education and credentials across the state, to help people acquire AI skills and then connect them with jobs — some of which will be born out of the companies that start here.”
Corey Sanders, a member of the Class of 2004, is CoreWeave’s senior vice president of strategy and a visiting lecturer in Princeton’s Department of Computer Science.
Corey Sanders, a New Jersey native and a member of the Class of 2004, is now CoreWeave’s senior vice president of strategy, as well as a visiting lecturer in Princeton’s Department of Computer Science.
“New Jersey’s AI Hub will accelerate the career journeys for so many promising stars in the state who are looking for that opportunity to develop their technical skills and build upon their innovative ideas — and collectively, we in this room are letting them know they can do it right here in the state,” said Sanders. “CoreWeave is actually a prime example of that. CoreWeave was started in New Jersey, is headquartered in New Jersey, and continues to grow in New Jersey, offering purpose-built AI infrastructure for some of the world’s most compute-intensive workloads.”
Future programming at the NJ AI Hub will include research and development, commercialization and accelerating innovation, and strengthening AI education and workforce development. Together, the founding partners have pledged to invest more than $72 million to support the Hub’s long-term success.
“The Hub has vast potential to advance research and development, accelerate innovation, and strengthen AI education and workforce development, benefiting those who live, work and learn here in central New Jersey, throughout the state and beyond,” said Eisgruber. “I’m especially pleased that the Hub’s activities will attract and leverage talent from New Jersey’s outstanding colleges and universities.”
“This is a defining moment for the Hub and the region, and it is only the beginning,” Parker said. “Cultivating a thriving regional ecosystem is among the university’s highest strategic priorities, and I can imagine no better project than the New Jersey AI Hub to advance this goal. We are grateful for the extraordinary partnership of the State of New Jersey, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Microsoft and CoreWeave, and we are grateful for the contributions from many additional partners in industry and academia that have helped to enable the progress we celebrate today.”
Information from a news release issued by the office of Governor Phil Murphy was used in this article.