Gov. Kathy Hochul secured $400 million in public and private funds for Empire AI — a consortium of SUNY, CUNY, and private universities and foundations — to position New York State at the forefront of AI research and innovation.
Albany, NY, April 30, 2024 - On Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul highlighted the New York State’s initiatives to advance artificial intelligence, sharing her vision of making New York the next Silicon Valley.
“This is our Erie Canal moment,” Hochul said, “Whoever dominates the next era of AI, will dominate history, and indeed, the future.”
The funds will go toward building a large-scale computing center in New York, that will be accessed by a consortium of leading universities, including the SUNY and CUNY systems, and private colleges and universities, like Columbia, New York University, and Cornell.
Gov. Hochul with Empire AI Consortium Leaders
The Empire AI will counter the current concentration of AI resources in the hands of large technology companies, who maintain outsized control of the AI development ecosystem.
The intent of the consortium is to accelerate research and innovation in AI while creating sustained economic impact across the state and serve as a reliable, trustworthy source of information as AI evolves. develop applications and technology focused on the public interest of New York.
“The state, with the passage of our budget, now has the resources necessary to do something which is quite extraordinary,” the governor said, "to make available the supercomputing power of AI to every student who wishes to avail themselves of it in the state of New York. This is a great equalizer. It is going to create great opportunities for jobs and commercialization, new jobs, new entrepreneurs.”
SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. said, “Thanks to Governor Kathy Hochul’s vision and leadership, the Empire AI research center for the public good will be a game changer for New York State, our consortium partners, and SUNY – including our four university centers: Stony Brook University, University at Albany, Binghamton University, and University at Buffalo. As AI is increasingly woven into more aspects of our society, Empire AI is perfectly positioned to grow New York State as a leader in artificial intelligence research and development.”
Stony Brook University, SUNY College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean Andrew Singer said, “At Stony Brook University, we are excited to be part of this moment, proud to join our partners in Empire AI, and grateful to Governor Hochul and her vision to position New York as a national leader. The rapid growth of AI systems will continue to have profound effects on all aspects of society from education and healthcare to the way we do business and go about our lives. This pivotal investment and historic legislation opens doors to collaboration — across our state — that will drive research, foster innovation and entrepreneurship, and continue to build New York's economy.”
“Today’s research in machine learning requires tremendous compute. Empire AI will provide an exciting new facility that AI researchers at Stony Brook can’t wait to experiment with”, said AI Institute Director Skiena.
Communications Assistant
Ankita Nagpal