Nvidia founding couple donate $50 million for AI computing to Oregon State University

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Oregon State University today announced that Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun (Jensen) Huang and Lori Huang have donated $50 million to the school to build a new on-campus innovation complex .

The university has also raised a total of $100 million in donations to launch what will eventually be a $200 million research and education center with one of the most powerful supercomputers in the country .

The center will conduct research in artificial intelligence, materials science and robotics to solve global challenges in areas such as climate science, oceanography, sustainability and water resources.

The complex will also support OSU research and education supporting the semiconductor and broader technology industry in Oregon and beyond. Jensen Huang is the founder and CEO of Nvidia, and he and his wife Lori are graduates of Oregon State University.

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"We are thrilled with this extraordinary philanthropy and commitment to advancing research, discovery and problem solving," OSU President Jayathi Murthy said in a statement.

Artist's impression of a new Innovation Center at OSU.

Murthy said the three-story, 150,000-square-foot center is under design and is expected to open in school in Corvallis, Oregon in 2025.

Murthy said the center is part of Oregon State's efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM education and research. The Huangs are Oregon high school graduates and met when they were students at OSU's College of Engineering.

“We discovered our passion for computer science and engineering at OSU. We hope this gift will help inspire future generations of students to fall in love with technology and its ability to change the world. the Huangs said in a statement.

“AI is the most transformative technology of our time,” they added. “To exploit this force, engineering students must have access to a supercomputer, a time machine, to accelerate their research. This new artificial intelligence supercomputer will allow OSU students and researchers to make very important advances in the fields of climatology, oceanography, materials science, robotics, etc.