Nvidia and Amazon to Fund Universities AI Research Collaboration

Nvidia and Amazon will fund a partnership between the Japanese University of Tsukuba and the University of Washington in the US. The research will cover various aspects of AI as part of a broader $110 million collaboration between the nations.

The tech companies will each provide $25 million for the universities’ AI research into different fields, including robotics, healthcare, climate change, and atmospheric science. Nvidia stated the backing comes as universities around the world are preparing students for crucial AI skills by providing access to the high-performance computing capabilities of supercomputing.

It noted the funding adds to a recent collaboration with Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology covering AI and quantum technology, and asserted corporate-university partnerships are a key tool to addressing a shortage of skilled AI staff. In a University of Tsukuba statement, its president Nagata Kyosuke argued the latest partnership would strengthen existing semiconductor research in the US and Japan.

Amazon’s statement included a comment by SVP and head scientist of artificial general intelligence Rohit Prasad on the potential of the collaboration to bring together experts across sectors, disciplines, and countries to accelerate critical AI research. The company noted the tie-up spans ten years and broadened a close partnership with Nvidia spanning 13 years. The University of Washington said it had been handed an opportunity to lead the global conversation on AI and to convene academic researchers, industry experts, and government leaders.