Fueling Economic Development Across the US: How NVIDIA Is Empowering States, Municipalities and Universities to Drive Innovation

To democratize access to AI technology nationwide, AI education and deployment can't be limited to a few urban tech hubs - it must reach every community, university and state.

That's why NVIDIA is working with cities, states and educational institutions to embed AI education and innovation across the U.S., with the goal of helping the next generation of American developers, researchers and engineers lead the global AI economy.

These initiatives - which span state-level AI factories, municipal strategies for AI-driven economic development and educational initiatives for students of all ages - have the potential to change generational outcomes by driving workforce development and economic growth in communities nationwide.

At NVIDIA GTC Washington, D.C., running through Wednesday, Oct. 29, government and educational institutions including the State of Utah, the City of Rancho Cordova and Miles College are discussing recent collaborations with NVIDIA to spur AI training and innovation.

Utah Launches First State AI Factory The University of Utah recently unveiled an AI factory initiative with NVIDIA and HPE that will more than triple the university's computing capacity with a $50 million investment of public and philanthropic funds into AI infrastructure.

Jacobus (Kobus) Van der Merwe, professor in the School of Computing at the University of Utah. The multiyear effort will support the university's healthcare and scientific research, including projects focused on Alzheimer's, cancer, genetics and mental health.

With this initiative, we aim to build the AI infrastructure needed to fuel a strong ecosystem of developers, students and researchers across the state, said Taylor Randall, president of the University of Utah. This boost in compute availability will help drive research and entrepreneurship across scientific disciplines.

Utah is also among a growing number of states - including California, Mississippi and Oregon - collaborating with NVIDIA to enhance AI education efforts and boost regional economic development.

Utah's Silicon Slopes tech hub Through an initiative announced earlier this year, Utah is equipping educators at the state's universities, community colleges and adult education programs with AI skills and certification through the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute University Ambassador Program.

It's part of a broader effort to ensure the state's educational system is preparing teachers and students with AI skills.

The AI Ecosystem as a Policy Engine: Rancho Cordova's Municipal Innovation Strategy Rancho Cordova, California - a city of about 85,000 residents located less than 15 miles from Sacramento - is collaborating with NVIDIA and the Human Machine Collaboration Institute (HMCI) to boost the city's AI capabilities with AI infrastructure, workforce upskilling and student training.

Cordova High School students learning robotics skills. In this critical period of AI advancement, the city aims to generate economic value by developing an AI and robotics ecosystem that will attract AI businesses to Rancho Cordova with reliable power infrastructure and workforce pipelines from local colleges and universities. The city then plans to reinvest revenue from the new AI businesses into building its local AI ecosystem with workforce development programs, research and additional AI infrastructure.

Rancho Cordova is charting new territory by developing an AI ecosystem that unites industry, education and government to shape the future of economic growth, said Rancho Cordova City Manager Micah Runner. In collaboration with NVIDIA and HMCI, we're exploring how cities can use AI to drive innovation, strengthen the economy and expand opportunities for our community.

As a research institution, HMCI sees the Rancho Cordova initiative as a flagship example that can be shared with other cities to fuel their local economies.

It's essential that every city is thinking about how they can adapt and change with AI, said Sadie St. Lawrence, founder and CEO of HMCI. In Rancho Cordova, we're showing that you don't have to be one of the Silicon Valleys of the world to start to infuse AI technology into your ecosystem.

Scaling AI Education Through College and University Partnerships To help prepare students for careers in the evolving AI landscape, NVIDIA is working with educational platforms for high schools, colleges and universities nationwide, as well as professional organizations, to integrate AI education for learners of all backgrounds.

Miles College, a historically Black college (HBCU) located in Fairfield, Alabama, is collaborating with NVIDIA to integrate AI across academic programs, faculty research and community engagement.

NVIDIA is providing access to Deep Learning Institute resources, frameworks and development tools to expand the college's AI curriculum - and help train and certify faculty and students in AI and accelerated computing. The company will also work with Miles College to identify and position resources and partnerships to catalyze innovation and economic development for surrounding communities.

Miles College campus in Fairfield, Alabama We're implementing AI fluency to be a core competency for every Miles College graduate - no matter what field they're in - so that they're prepared not only for success in their careers, but for leadership in their communities, said Bobbie Knight, president of Miles College. This initiative is about inspiring innovation and expanding opportunity, not just within the walls of Miles College but throughout the state - because when our students thrive, our entire region grows stronger.

Miles College is already implementing AI campus-wide, with nearly half of faculty regularly integrating AI into course design and student learning modules, and about 6

LINK:	https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/economic-development-us/...
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