TCU Invests $10 Million in AI Computing Infrastructure for Students and Faculty
Texas Christian University is giving every student and faculty member access to high-performance artificial intelligence computing through AI², a $10 million partnership with Dell and AWS. The infrastructure launch reflects a deliberate choice by the university to prepare students for careers where AI competency has become baseline.
Reuben Burch, TCU's vice provost for research, helped design the initiative. Before joining academia, Burch spent years at FedEx Express building autonomous vehicle systems - work that taught him a practical lesson about technology adoption.
"I spent a large part of my career explaining: I don't want to take your job. I want to give you a better job," Burch said at a recent Fort Worth Report panel on AI. "And here we are again with AI."
Prompting Fluency as a Core Skill
Burch frames the ability to write effective prompts as a universal professional skill, not a technical specialty. "He or she who prompts best wins," he said. "You don't have to have a STEM degree to understand what prompting will do for you in your career."
This perspective shapes how TCU is embedding AI into classroom experience across disciplines. The goal is straightforward: if students who understand AI will outcompete those who don't, TCU students should graduate with that knowledge already woven into their education.
But capability requires judgment. Burch compared teaching AI use to teaching someone to drive - a powerful tool that demands ethics and caution. Students need to verify AI-generated answers rather than accept them at face value. They also need to understand data privacy risks, particularly when handling sensitive information that could trigger federal compliance violations if shared.
Security Must Run Parallel to AI Adoption
Burch offered a direct warning for any organization moving toward AI: cybersecurity conversations must happen alongside AI discussions. "If you're having an AI discussion without a cyber discussion, you're not going to like the results," he said.
Many organizations don't realize they're already adopting AI through routine software updates that incorporate machine learning without explicit notice. That blind spot creates risk.
He also raised a concern about burnout among high performers. When AI compresses timelines and raises expectations, the employees most likely to adopt the technology quickly may face accelerated exhaustion. "High-performing people are going to be at risk," he said.
Fort Worth's Role as a Testing Ground
The panel discussion included city and nonprofit leaders positioning Fort Worth as a hub for AI-driven logistics. Kelly Baggett, innovation coordinator for the city of Fort Worth, noted that drone delivery programs are already operating in residential neighborhoods.
"Every delivery via drone takes a car off the road," Baggett said. "Less traffic, fewer fatalities, less CO2 - these things have multiplier effects."
Carlo Capua, former chief of strategy and innovation for the city and now senior principal at the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, raised questions about equity. As young people increasingly turn to AI for emotional support rather than to adults, foundations and civic partners need to ensure AI adoption doesn't deepen existing inequities.
Adam Powell, president and CEO of United Way of Tarrant County, described AI's potential to extend nonprofit services to underserved communities. He challenged the room to move beyond passive observation: "We can be thermometers, or we can be thermostats. We can lean into AI, lean into these innovations, and if we do that well, I think we can make Fort Worth the most innovative city in the country."
Start With the Problem
Across the discussion, Burch returned to a principle that guides his work: start with the problem, not the technology. "What problem are you trying to solve? And are you secure in using it?"
For TCU, the $10 million investment in AI² reflects that logic. It's less a bet on technology than a decision about institutional leadership in an AI-driven economy.
Educators interested in building AI skills can explore prompt engineering and AI for education resources.
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