Governor Hochul Launches First Phase of Empire AI, Powering Critical Research for the Public Good Just Six Months After FY25 Budget

Governor Hochul Launches First Phase of Empire AI, Powering Critical Research for the Public Good Just Six Months After FY25 Budget

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced New York's first-in-the-nation Empire AI Consortium will commence research this fall, just six months after it was included in the FY25 Enacted Budget. The Simons Foundation made a philanthropic contribution of initial computing power and expert staffing, allowing Empire AI to jumpstart their research. Housed at the University at Buffalo, this initial phase of Empire AI represents some of the most robust computing power in the nation. On behalf of the Consortium, the University at Buffalo has also launched a request for proposals to advance the permanent home of the full-scale state-of-the-art artificial intelligence computing center.

"New York is writing the next chapter of human history with our historic Empire AI initiative - putting innovation, research and technology at the forefront of our investments," Governor Hochul said. "Empire AI is centered in the public interest, and this step brings us closer to using this technology to shape a better future for New Yorkers."

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Empire AI Consortium members will leverage the initial research capacity, starting this fall, to advance research aimed at addressing major societal challenges for the public good. These efforts will focus on critical areas such as climate change and resilience, health disparities and interventions, accelerating drug discovery, democratizing education for all populations, and tackling global food insecurity and urban poverty.

AI and the high-performance computing offered by Empire AI will play a pivotal role in solving other complex issues, including sustainable energy solutions, cybersecurity threats, advanced health care diagnostics, equitable economic development, and optimizing infrastructure for smart cities.

The Governor also announced that Stony Brook University's Dr. Robert J. Harrison has been appointed as interim executive director to lead the Consortium, while a national search is conducted for the Consortium's inaugural permanent leader. Professor Robert Harrison is the founding director of the Institute for Advanced Computational Science at Stony Brook University, which was established in 2012 with an endowment from Jim and Marilyn Simons. Through his leadership, the institute achieved international recognition as a hub for AI and computer-enabled multidisciplinary research. His long career at the frontiers of science and high-performance computing has spanned academia and multiple US Department of Energy national laboratories including Brookhaven National Laboratory here in New York, on Long Island, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee, current home of the world's fastest open-science computer.

Governor Hochul also announced an Empire AI board of directors that will include representatives from the State and from the Consortium higher education partners - the City University of New York, Cornell University, Columbia University, New York University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the State University of New York.

Additionally, the Empire AI Consortium has been formally incorporated as a New York non-profit corporation and taken critical steps to ensure strong governance and accountability, including adopting bylaws and key policies. The computing capacity provided by Simons Foundation will provide researchers in the Consortium the opportunity to begin advanced research immediately while the larger facility is being built.

New York is writing the next chapter of human history with our historic Empire AI initiative - putting innovation, research and technology at the forefront of our investments"

Simons Foundation President David Spergel said, "The Simons Foundation is thrilled to be supporting the Governor's effort to strengthen New York as a center for computational sciences. This week, the Nobel Prizes in both Chemistry and Physics were awarded to AI researchers. Empire AI will enable New York State researchers and students to be the innovators that create the next great ideas in science and technology."

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, "Empire AI is securing New York State's leadership in AI for the public good, and SUNY's University at Albany, Binghamton University, University at Buffalo, and Stony Brook University are proud to come together to drive research and innovation with other leading New York State institutions. We applaud Governor Hochul, and we are grateful for the expertise and commitment of the Simons Foundation, Tom Secunda, the entire board of directors, and the researchers and faculty across SUNY and higher education."

CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez said, "Governor Hochul has positioned New York as a national standard-bearer for the responsible development of AI technology and through its generous support, the Simons Foundation has made it possible for the Empire AI consortium to quickly establish a solid foundational and governing structure. CUNY is proud to contribute research expertise to New York State's trailblazing Empire AI consortium, which will harness the magnificent potential of the computational sciences to serve responsibly and equitably the public good."

Bloomberg LP Co-Founder Tom Secunda said, "Under Governor Hochul's leadership, Empire AI has positioned New York as the national leader in AI innovation by providing these impactful tools, usually reserved for only the largest technology companies, to our research institutions and their teams. This tremendous donation from the Simons Foundation will allow staff from all of the Empire AI consortium members to start their research ahead of schedule and begin harnessing the power of AI for public good. Empire AI will not only speed up discovery but create new kinds of discovery, and now that academic institutions have this head start, we're that much closer to the next scientific breakthrough. We're grateful to all the participating institutions for their willingness to consistently commit significant time and resources to this project, and are excited to welcome Dr. Harrison to the effort."

Stony Brook University Professor and Empire AI Interim Executive Director Dr. Robert Harrison said, "It is a privilege and very exciting to join Empire AI at this formative moment. The Governor's historic investment in Empire AI will transform research and innovation across New York State. It gives our researchers access to high-performance computer technology at a scale typically reserved for only the largest tech companies or nations, positioning New York State to take the national lead on AI-enabled scientific discovery and engineering design."

University at Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi said, "Because of Governor Hochul's visionary leadership, the generosity of the Simons Foundation, and the support of the state legislature, NYS now has the computing power needed to advance artificial intelligence research. Empire AI will put NYS at the epicenter of AI innovation. This game changing initiative will enable researchers across the consortium to use the power of AI to solve some of our world's most troubling problems. UB is very proud to be the home of Empire AI."

Cornell University Interim President Michael Kotlikoff said, "Cornell applauds the foresight of the Simons Foundation in bringing this 'first light' to Empire AI and academic researchers in New York State, as Governor Hochul has championed. We look forward to the research collaborations across Cornell and the other academic and research institutions who are driving AI research computing forward for the greatest good of discoveries and translation to society."

NYU President Linda G. Mills said, "New York University is both excited by the opportunities presented by Empire AI and proud to work alongside New York's institutes of higher learning in order to drive progress in AI and high-performance computing that will benefit both scientific discovery and help New York remain a destination of cutting-edge technology. We thank Governor Hochul for her continued leadership on this issue and for the support of our partners at the Simons Foundation."

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Martin A. Schmidt said, "RPI commends Governor Hochul's dedication to establishing New York as a leader in harnessing the power of AI for the benefit of all. With the governor's trailblazing vision and the generous support and collaboration of our partners, we are excited to embark on this next phase of Empire AI to accelerate critical research and innovation."

Cornell Tech Jack and Rill Neafsey Dean and Vice Provost Greg Morrisett said, "The Empire AI consortium is addressing a vital need: university researchers need access to modern computational machines for two reasons. First, this kind of research now will uncover new opportunities for AI to help solve big challenges such as affordable and equitable health care and climate adaptation in the future. Second, this kind of research community is dedicated to exploring the limitations, technologies, and policies needed to ensure that AI serves the public interest with trust."

Columbia University Executive Vice President for Research and Professor of Computer Science Jeannette M. Wing said, "The Columbia research community is thrilled to have access to the computational power of Empire AI, with early enthusiasm expressed by researchers developing cutting-edge AI techniques to researchers who use AI to understand the brain, model the earth, or fight misinformation. Governor Hochul's leadership combined with all of the work of Empire AI member institutions is laying the scientific and ethical foundations of AI for generations to come."

Assemblymember Steve Otis said, "The financial commitment of the Governor and the Legislature has already resulted in expanded private sector investment in high-tech manufacturing and leadership in AI driven by SUNY and the Empire AI Consortium. Our committee visited UB this summer to meet with key players on the SUNY team leading the Empire AI Consortium. The work of Governor Hochul and Chancellor King provide a roadmap for continued economic success for New York. Our leadership in technology and innovation will bring jobs and new business partners to grow our economy."

Tech:NYC President and CEO Julie Samuels said, "Thanks to Governor Hochul's leadership and this generous donation from the Simons Foundation, Empire AI is up and running months ahead of schedule, allowing consortium members to fast-track their groundbreaking research and begin using artificial intelligence for the public good even sooner. New York is already at the forefront of developing AI to solve society's problems - now, the early launch of Empire AI will create opportunities to speed up discovery and push the envelope even further. Together, alongside public and private institutions, we look forward to catalyzing safe, equitable, and accessible AI research and development, and cementing New York as a leader in responsible AI."

Empire State Development President, CEO, and Commissioner Hope Knight said, "Today's launch of the Empire AI Consortium marks a pivotal step in positioning New York as a global leader in artificial intelligence research and innovation. By harnessing the power of public and private collaboration, we are advancing critical research that addresses some of society's most pressing challenges-from climate resilience to health disparities. This is more than an investment in technology; it's an investment in our future, our workforce, and our ability to solve complex problems that affect millions of lives."

Expanding Artificial Intelligence Across New York State

Access to the computing resources that power AI systems is prohibitively expensive and difficult to obtain. These resources are increasingly concentrated in the hands of large technology companies, who maintain outsized control of the AI development ecosystem. As a result, researchers, public interest organizations, and small companies are being left behind, which has enormous implications for AI safety and society at large. Empire AI will bridge this gap and accelerate the development of AI centered in public interest for New York State. Enabling this pioneering AI research and development will also help educational institutions incubate the AI-focused technology startups of the future, driving job growth.

The Empire AI consortium includes seven New York-based founding institutions: Columbia University, Cornell University, New York University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the State University of New York, the City University of New York and the Flatiron Institute. By increasing collaboration between New York State's world-class research institutions, Empire AI will allow for efficiencies of scale not able to be achieved by any single university, empower and attract top notch faculty and expand educational opportunity, and give rise to a wave of responsible innovation that will significantly strengthen our state's economy and our national security.

The initiative will be funded by over $400 million in public and private investment, including a $250 million State capital grant investment, and $25 million over ten years in SUNY funding. The project will also receive more than $125 million from the founding institutions and other private partners, including the Simons Foundation, whose Flatiron Institute works to advance research through computational methods, and Tom Secunda, co-founder of Bloomberg LP and the Secunda Family Foundation, which provides millions of dollars a year in grants to conservation, health care, scientific advancement and other causes.

In addition, as part of the Budget, Governor Hochul signed legislation to prioritize safe, ethical uses of AI as the state continues to build its AI footprint. The legislation includes a requirement that all forms of political communication - including image, video, audio, text or any technological representation of speech or conduct - disclose the use of materially deceptive media.

Governor Hochul's Innovation Agenda

Governor Hochul's commitment to advancing New York's leadership in artificial intelligence builds on her broader agenda to expand cutting-edge technology development in the Empire State. Earlier this year, Governor Hochul announced that IBM CEO Arvind Krishna and Girls Who Code CEO Dr. Tarika Barrett will co-chair the new Emerging Technology Advisory Board - an independent group of industry leaders tasked with informing and accelerating New York's transformation into a hub for growth and innovation. The Governor previously signed New York's historic Green CHIPS legislation to drive semiconductor research, development, and manufacturing in New York State and announced a $10 billion partnership to bring next-generation chips research to NY CREATES' Albany NanoTech Complex. The Governor has continued to advance a $620 million Life Science Initiative to support innovation in biomedical research. And through strategic investments like the $113.7 million Battery-NY initiative, Governor Hochul has fueled the growth of the sustainability, green technology and energy storage economies in New York State.

The Governor's innovation agenda has catalyzed major public and private investments, transforming New York's economy and creating good-paying jobs of the future. GlobalFoundries recently announced an $11.6 billion investment to expand its chip manufacturing campus in New York's Capital Region, creating 1,500 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs. In 2022, Micron announced a 20-year, $100 billion investment to create a megafab campus in Central New York, creating 50,000 new direct and indirect jobs and unlocking hundreds of millions of dollars in community benefits. The Governor's Life Sciences Initiative helped to solidify New York's selection for the $300 million Chan Zuckerberg Biohub New York, a biomedical research hub in New York City, and significant investments from Schrödinger, Inc., Deerfield Discovery and Development and other life sciences businesses. Earlier this year, the National Science Foundation also announced a $160 million investment in Binghamton University's New Energy New York Storage Engine to establish a hub for innovation, technology translation, and workforce development to grow the capacity of the domestic battery industry.

Contact the Governor's Press Office