Educational Institutions Will Use It for Critical Research
By Hank Russell
The state’s new Empire AI Beta is officially online, giving researchers at New York’s leading public and private universities access to what the state calls the most powerful academic research computer in the country and marking a major milestone in New York’s effort to lead the nation in responsible artificial intelligence for the public good.
As convened by Governor Kathy Hochul and consortium partners, the Empire AI initiative is already serving as a national model for public-interest AI use. As the federal National Science Foundation has announced a major investment to support regional AI infrastructure and shared research capacity through their new State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs initiative, Empire AI is already powering world-class research and serving academics, students and communities across the state.
“New York State built Empire AI to show that artificial intelligence can be developed for the public good, and, with Empire AI Beta officially online, New York is giving our researchers the most powerful academic AI research computer in the country,” Hochul said.”
Empire AI Board Chairman Tom Secunda said, “Empire AI is showing the nation what dedicated partners across government, research institutions, and philanthropy can build together: a scientific asset no institution could create on its own, advancing the public good.”
Housed at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, Empire AI Beta is a $40 million NVIDIA-powered supercomputer that dramatically expands the computing power available to academic researchers across New York State. According to the governor’s office, the system delivers an elevenfold increase in AI training capacity, a 40-fold boost in AI inference and an eightfold expansion in data storage compared to Empire AI Alpha, the consortium’s initial system launched in 2024.
With over 300 research projects already queued up to use the system, Beta will accelerate work across fields including health care, climate science, advanced manufacturing, education, cybersecurity, public safety and other areas that directly benefit New Yorkers.
SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, with the advent of Empire AI Beta, this will result in accelerating lifesaving research and strengthening local communities. “Thanks to Empire AI, SUNY’s researchers are making advances every day in fields like health care, public safety and emerging technologies, all while demonstrating responsible environmental stewardship.”
The governor’s office said that the launch of Beta represents the next major step in Empire AI’s phased buildout. Alpha, the consortium’s initial system made possible by philanthropic support from the Simons Foundation, has already supported more than 130 research projects and hundreds of researchers across New York. Beta now brings a transformative increase in capacity, while construction continues on Empire AI’s permanent, full-scale Gamma facility at the University at Buffalo, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
Once complete, the Gamma facility will also be the most efficient high-powered computing center in the nation. By integrating into the University at Buffalo’s buildout of a thermal energy network in a closed-loop system, process heat from Empire AI will be used to heat the buildings on campus, dramatically improving the school’s ability to meet net-zero goals.
“Turning on Beta is a major leap forward for Empire AI and for academic research across New York,” said Kiran Keshav, Empire AI’s research computing director. “Researchers who were once limited by access to computing power can now ask bigger questions, test more ambitious ideas and move faster from theory to discovery. From medical diagnostics and climate modeling to safer infrastructure and more trustworthy AI systems, this system will help New York’s researchers do work that would not otherwise be possible.”