The state of Mississippi and technology giant Nvidia have reached a deal for the company to expand artificial intelligence training and research at the state’s education institutions, an initiative to prepare students for a global economy increasingly driven by AI, Gov. Tate Reeves announced Wednesday.
The memorandum of understanding, a nonbinding agreement, between Mississippi and the California-based company will introduce AI programs across the state’s community colleges, universities and technical institutions. The initiative will aim to train at least 10,000 Mississippians using a curriculum designed around AI skills, machine learning and data science.
Mississippi now joins Utah, California and Oregon, which have signed on to similar programs with Nvidia.
“This collaboration with Nvidia is monumental for Mississippi. By expanding AI education, investing in workforce development and encouraging innovation, we, along with Nvidia, are creating a pathway to dynamic careers in AI and cybersecurity for Mississippians,” Reeves said. “These are the in-demand jobs of the future — jobs that will change the landscape of our economy for generations to come. AI is here now, and it is here to stay.”
The agreement does not award any tax incentives to Nvidia, but Reeves said the state would provide funding for the initiative. Still, he did not foresee having to call a special legislative session in order to pay for it. Reeves said officials and Nvidia were still determining the exact dollar figure the project would require, but the state would spend as much as it took to reach its goal of training at least 10,000 Mississippians.
Some of the funding may come from $9.1 million in grants to state institutions of higher learning through the Mississippi AI Talent Accelerator Program, which Reeves announced last week.
Nvidia designs and supplies graphics processing units (GPUs), and the Mississippi program will focus on teaching people to work with GPUs. The company has seen growing demand for its semiconductors, which are used to power AI applications.
Now the world’s most valuable chipmaker, Nvidia announced in April that it will produce its AI supercomputers in the United States for the first time.
Louis Stewart, head of strategic initiatives for Nvidia’s global developer ecosystem, said the Mississippi program is part of a larger effort to bolster the United States’ position as the global leader in artificial intelligence.
“Together, we will enhance economic growth through an AI-skilled workforce, advanced research, and industry engagement, positioning Mississippi as a hub for AI-driven transformation to the benefit of its communities.”
— Article credit to Michael Goldberg for Mississippi Today —