IBL News | New York
SUNY’s four university centers at Stony Brook, Buffalo, Albany, and Binghamton will participate in the Empire AI campus partnership to advance AI research, professional development for faculty and students, and microcredential courses. These universities will partner with several technology and community colleges
This campus partnership, which will leverage the Empire AI academic supercomputer housed at the SUNY at Buffalo, seeks to ensure that AI is used effectively and ethically for students and faculty and, overall, for the public good.
SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said that his institution “is leveraging the largest statewide comprehensive system of public higher education in the country to ensure that more students are able to drive research and move innovation forward.”
“By bringing together SUNY institutions through these campus partnerships, we are furthering the use of AI for the public good and shaping a brighter future for all New Yorkers,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul in announcing the partnerships on January 30. “Through Empire AI, New York is ensuring the power of AI is harnessed responsibly.”
Empire AI is Governor Hochul’s nationwide-leading initiative to advance AI research for the public good, led by an independent consortium. It is backed by more than $500 million in public and private funding and comprises 10 member universities and research institutions, including the University of Rochester, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
These institutions joined the seven founding members of Empire AI: SUNY, CUNY, Columbia University, Cornell University, NYU, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the Flatiron Institute.
In her 2026 State of the State agenda, Hochul proposed the launch of Empire AI Beta, which will accelerate Empire AI’s performance to 11 times its former scale, making it the world’s most advanced academic supercomputer.