NCSA, NAIRR providing greater access to AI resources
National Center for Supercomputing Applications
Less than a year since its launch, the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) pilot is already delivering impactful results.
In January 2024, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) was announced as one of the primary NAIRR partners aiming to develop a national AI research infrastructure that will connect a wide array of researchers and educators with essential AI computing resources. NCSA systems Delta and DeltaAI are proving to be a prominent choice for researchers utilizing NAIRR resources, including doctoral students at the University of Utah who are leveraging DeltaAI to evaluate the accuracy, reliability, robustness and trustworthiness of compressed large language models.
“NCSA and the Delta team are excited to support the innovative AI projects researchers are undertaking through the NAIRR pilot,” said NCSA Director Bill Gropp. “The future of artificial intelligence is one of the biggest unknowns facing the academic and research computing communities. NCSA is proud to partner with NAIRR, NSF and the DOE in attempting to find answers to these complex questions and empower AI research in a safe, responsible and equitable manner.”
NAIRR pilot awards allocated as of October 2024. Credit: Giovanni Rodriguez/U.S. National Science Foundation
Led by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) in partnership with 12 other federal agencies and more than 25 non-government contributors, NAIRR is quickly living up to its vision prompted by the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 and later Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence that President Joe Biden signed in 2023.
“The need for AI infrastructure, research and education is only going to increase,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “In providing access to top-tier AI resources and expertise, the government, industry and non-profit partners of the NAIRR pilot are helping our nation’s researchers and educators develop AI for the greater good and train our rapidly expanding AI workforce. NAIRR is meeting people where they are, regardless of geography or background, channeling the United States’ unique diversity into innovations and discoveries to advance a trustworthy global AI ecosystem and drive international standards, ensuring U.S. AI leadership for decades to come.”
Check out this article from NSF for more information on the progress made by NAIRR in the initial year of the pilot.
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