The fastest supercomputer in the U.S. academic landscape was unveiled Tuesday at the University of Florida (UF).
Officials with UF launched the next generation of the school’s HiPerGator computer system. The system features the fastest university-owned supercomputer and is an extension of the school’s artificial intelligence (AI) initiative, which began five years ago.
“As Florida’s flagship university, UF has embraced a bold and audacious vision: to be the nation’s AI university. Our commitment to AI is not just promoting economic growth across the state and giving our students the tools they need to be America’s next generation of leaders,” said UF Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini. “It’s also protecting lives, preserving resources, feeding the world, improving health outcomes, and making Florida stronger, safer and better prepared for tomorrow.”
The system cost $33 million and is an element of the partnership between UF and NVIDIA. That association has been pushing to integrate AI education and research among all academic disciplines at UF. The new system is a “DGX B200 ‘Blackwell’ SuperPOD, which measures 30 times faster than the previous HiPerGator generation,” a UF news release said.
“Every part of this university is a playground for AI,” said UF Interim President Donald W. Landry. “This land-grant institution has succeeded in what we want to see across the state…The combination of vision, partnership and dedication leads us to this moment.”
Out of UF’s $1.33 billion annual budget for research, about 60% is dedicated toward projects that are reliant on the HiPerGator.
The upgraded program also comes as UF has added 100 new AI faculty and 230 AI and data science courses to the curriculum. In the past year alone, the system has supported some 7,000 users from across the Southeast U.S.
“What this group of folks and leadership has done represents a model that is going to transform the nation,” said UF alumnus and NVIDIA cofounder Chris Malachowsky, a key partner and donor in UF’s sweeping initiative to lead the country in creating the next AI workforce. This is a testament to the machine to be exploited and taken advantage of. Take it and run. It’s bold and powerful and impactful.”
