Article on Governor Hochul announces Empi...

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that Empire AI Beta is officially online at the University at Buffalo, giving researchers at New York's leading public and private universities access to what officials describe as the most powerful academic research computer in the country. The $40 million NVIDIA supercomputer is the next step in the state's effort to build AI infrastructure for public-interest research, and the National Science Foundation has announced a similar program modeled on Empire AI. Empire AI is a consortium of 10 universities and research institutions, including SUNY, CUNY, Columbia University, Cornell University, New York University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and the Flatiron Institute at the Simons Foundation. The initiative is backed by more than $500 million in public and private funding.

Federal government following New York's model

The National Science Foundation has announced a new State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs initiative that draws directly from Empire AI's structure. The program will support regional AI infrastructure and shared research capacity across the country, using the same government-university-philanthropy partnership model that New York built. "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. "The National Science Foundation's new hubs embrace the same core principle behind Empire AI - when government, universities, philanthropy and industry come together, they can deliver outstanding results."

What Empire AI Beta provides

Beta provides an 11-fold increase in AI training capacity, a 40-fold boost in AI inference, and an 8-fold expansion in data storage compared to Empire AI Alpha, the consortium's initial system launched in 2024. More than 300 research projects are already queued to use the system, spanning health care, climate science, advanced manufacturing, education, cybersecurity, and public safety. Alpha, 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 scales that capacity up substantially. Researchers working in these fields can build AI skills through AI for Science & Research training. 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."

What's next

Construction continues on Empire AI's permanent Gamma facility at the University at Buffalo, expected to be completed by the end of 2027. Once complete, Gamma will also be the most efficient computing center in the nation. By integrating into the university's thermal energy network in a closed loop system, process heat from Empire AI will be used to heat campus buildings, helping the school meet net zero goals.

Why this matters for government

Empire AI shows what a state government can build when it treats AI infrastructure as a public asset. The funding structure - more than $500 million combining public, private, and philanthropic dollars across 10 institutions - is now the template for the NSF's regional AI hubs. Government professionals evaluating similar projects can study how New York structured the consortium, and AI for Government training covers the practical side of public sector AI adoption.