Who We Are
With Empire AI, New York State is first in the nation to establish a consortium of public and private research institutions advancing AI research for the public good at this scale.
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Our Partners
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Our Mission
Empire AI empowers New York’s leading colleges and universities with access to world-class, high-performance computing resources for responsible artificial intelligence research and development.
Our members are tackling some of the most pressing challenges of our time—both the opportunities AI presents and the ethical, technical, and societal questions it raises. Through Empire AI, New York is cultivating the next generation of tech talent and positioning itself as an international hub for AI innovation in service of the public good and the growth of AI-powered industries.
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Our History
In October 2024, Empire AI launched Phase Alpha, the first stage of its high-performance computing system, on the University at Buffalo campus. The Alpha system ranks as the 245th most powerful computer in the world, powered by 96 of the most advanced processors available for training AI models—made possible through a generous gift from the Simons Foundation. Notably, Alpha’s power efficiency earned it a #38 ranking on TOP500’s Green 500 list.
The full Empire AI computing center is scheduled for completion in 2026 on the University at Buffalo’s North Campus. Designed with sustainability at its core, the facility will run on clean, renewable hydropower from Niagara Falls and will reuse heat generated by the system to warm campus dorms, setting a new standard for energy-efficient AI infrastructure.
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FAQ
Empire AI has established New York as the national model for responsible AI technology. It is facilitating statewide innovation, groundbreaking research, and the development of AI technologies. By leveraging the state’s rich academic resources and research institutions, Empire AI is driving innovation in fields like medicine, education, energy, and climate change, all while giving New York’s researchers access to computing resources that are often prohibitively expensive and only available to big tech companies.
The Empire AI consortium includes Columbia University, Cornell University, CUNY, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York University, Rochester Institute of Technology, RPI, University of Rochester, SUNY, and the Flatiron Institute.
Right now, access to the computing resources that power AI is prohibitively expensive and difficult to obtain, and big tech companies are cornering the market. By providing access to high-performance computing resources, Empire AI empowers academic institutions to focus on AI’s unique capabilities to solve complex problems, including those presented by AI itself, fostering a statewide ecosystem of innovation. This is the first time this kind of computing power will be in the hands of public and research-focused institutions.
Empire AI will allow us to catalyze research using AI technology and foster new jobs in industries we haven’t yet imagined, creating a new sector of AI-powered businesses in New York. Now that New York is a national leader in AI, we can build a workforce prepared for the future with skills that our economy will rely on – advancing medicine, increasing economic growth, preventing crime, mitigating climate change, and enhancing cybersecurity.
