Black Tech Street and NVIDIA Join Forces to Make Tulsa a National Leader in AI Education and Innovation

Black Tech Street and NVIDIA Join Forces to Boost AI Education and Innovation in Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood

Black Tech Street (BTS) has partnered with NVIDIA through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to position Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Historic Greenwood district as a leading center for artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, education, and economic development. This collaboration aims to rebuild Historic Black Wall Street into a thriving AI and cybersecurity innovation economy.

BTS plays a key role in Tulsa's Tech Hub coalition, led by Tulsa Innovation Labs, which recently earned a Tech Hub designation for Autonomous Systems from the Economic Development Administration. The coalition secured $51 million in funding, allocating $10.6 million specifically for the creation of a Greenwood AI Center of Excellence, spearheaded by Black Tech Street.

Key Goals of the Partnership

• Expanding AI Education: Equip the Tulsa region with advanced AI skills through educational programs in collaboration with local institutions such as Langston University, Oklahoma State University, and Tulsa Community College.
• Driving Economic Growth: Support tech startups and foster high-paying AI jobs to stimulate economic development in the Greenwood District.
• Setting a National Example: Establish Tulsa as a model city for AI integration and community-driven innovation.

Through this partnership, BTS and NVIDIA will work closely with the Tech Hub, community partners, and the State of Oklahoma to deliver comprehensive training for up to 10,000 learners. Educational institutions and community organizations will play essential roles in this effort.

Resources and Commitments from NVIDIA

• Recruit entrepreneurs, technologists, and students into NVIDIA’s training and certification programs.
• Host community events like hackathons, innovation challenges, and tech fairs to boost local participation.
• Provide access to NVIDIA GPUs and cloud platforms to support AI projects and startups.
• Collaborate on securing federal, state, local, and philanthropic grants for research, talent development, and economic initiatives.
• Offer Greenwood and Tulsa access to NVIDIA’s Inception startup ecosystem for accelerating innovation.

Tyrance Billingsley II, BTS Founder and CEO, emphasized the significance of this partnership in helping the Greenwood community lead in AI. Similarly, Louis Stewart, NVIDIA’s Head of Ecosystem Development, highlighted the role of this collaboration in preparing a workforce capable of sustaining transformative technologies shaping America’s future.

Local Leadership Highlights

Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, noting its potential to generate long-term economic benefits and new job opportunities for Tulsans.

Senator James Langford recognized Oklahoma’s growing reputation in innovation fields such as AI and aerospace, praising the state’s ability to attract impactful partnerships beyond traditional tech hubs.

Supporting Partners and Educational Opportunities

The MOU’s execution will be supported by partners including Tulsa Innovation Labs, Microsoft, Seedai, Langston University, Tulsa Economic Development Corporation, Urban Coders Guild, and the Tulsa Higher Education Consortium.

Educators involved in this initiative can obtain certification through the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute University Ambassador Program. This program offers teaching materials, workshop content, and access to NVIDIA’s GPU-accelerated cloud workstations, enhancing the quality of AI instruction.

About Black Tech Street

Black Tech Street focuses on transforming Historic Greenwood into a premier innovation district centered on AI, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies. Its mission is to develop scalable AI adoption models that strengthen the United States’ position in AI advancement.

About NVIDIA

NVIDIA, founded in 1993, is a global leader in accelerated computing. The company's invention of the GPU sparked growth in PC gaming and has since reshaped computer graphics, high-performance computing, and artificial intelligence.

For educators interested in expanding AI skills and certifications, explore available AI courses and programs at Complete AI Training.