Empire AI Beta, housed at UB, now fully online

Empire AI Beta, the $40 million NVIDIA-powered supercomputer housed at UB as part of the second phase of New York State’s $500 million Empire AI research consortium, is now fully online, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday.

Beta gives researchers at New York’s leading public and private universities, including UB, access to the most powerful academic research computer in the country. It also marks a major milestone in New York’s effort to lead the nation in responsible artificial intelligence for the public good, Hochul notes.

“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 says.

UB researchers have already harnessed Beta’s supercomputing system to address pressing societal challenges, from providing doctors with advanced tools for brain and gastrointestinal surgeries, to helping farmers create more sustainable food production systems, to supplying policymakers with more nuanced data on financial markets.

“With more than five decades of leadership in AI and as home to Empire AI, we know that breakthroughs depend not only on ideas and expertise, but also on the computing power that makes discovery possible,” says Venu Govindaraju, senior vice president for research, innovation and economic development and chief AI officer at UB. “Empire AI proves that strategic investments in AI infrastructure are critical to accelerate discovery, spur economic development and ensure that AI serves the public good.”

Empire AI Beta dramatically expands the computing power available to academic researchers across New York State. The system delivers 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.

With over 300 research projects already queued up to use the system, Beta will accelerate work across fields including health care, climate science, advanced manufacturing, education, cybersecurity, public safety and other areas that directly benefit New Yorkers, Hochul says.

The launch of Beta represents the next major step in Empire AI’s phased buildout. Alpha, the consortium’s initial system 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 brings a transformative increase in capacity, while construction continues on Empire AI’s permanent, full-scale Gamma facility at UB, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

Once complete, the Gamma facility will also be the most efficient high-powered computing center in the nation. By integrating into UB’s buildout of a thermal energy network in a closed loop system, process heat from Empire AI will be used to heat buildings on campus, dramatically improving the school’s ability to meet net zero goals.

“Having the most powerful academic research computer in the country at the University at Buffalo is a tremendous achievement for Western New York,” says New York State Sen. April N.M. Baskin. “Empire AI will expand opportunities for students and researchers to lead groundbreaking discoveries while ensuring artificial intelligence is developed responsibly and for the public good. I’m proud that the University at Buffalo is at the center of this effort, helping shape the future of AI for the benefit of all New Yorkers as Empire AI continues to grow.”