Nvidia (NVDA), the market leader in A.I. chips, is partnering up with the state of California to prepare local students, teachers and workers for an increasingly A.I.-centered society. Through a joint initiative co-signed by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and California Governor Gavin Newsom, the two entities will funnel resources into schools for A.I. training, expand access to faculty A.I. certificate programs and support research initiatives with A.I. hardware and software resources.
“We’re in the early stages of a new industrial revolution that will transform trillion-dollar industries around the world,” said Huang, whose net worth swelled to $96 billion amid the A.I. boom, in a statement. “Together with California, Nvidia will train 100,000 students, college faculty, developers, and data scientists to harness this technology to prepare California for tomorrow’s challenges and unlock prosperity throughout the state.”
The collaboration will see Nvidia and California develop A.I. labs across institutes of higher education and establish faculty programs to improve A.I. curriculums. California also plans to fund A.I. worker training programs in schools and various industries, while Huang’s company will offer educational initiatives access to A.I. hardware, software and cloud computing resources and enhance the availability of faculty A.I. certifications like those obtained through its Deep Learning Institute University Ambassador Program. “It’s always good to equip our professors and teachers because, as mentors to our youth, they are in the best position to help shape students’ career paths,” said Amy Tong, secretary of California’s Government Operations Agency, in a statement.
Creating new jobs and economic opportunities in California centered on the emerging technology is additionally a key focus of the partnership. It will look to enhance California’s support of early-stage A.I. startups and explore practical A.I. applications in the state through Nvidia-hosted hackathons and design sprints.
California wants to capitalize on A.I.
The collaboration comes as California vies to become a hub of the new technology. In September, Newsom issued an executive order declaring that California develop processes for the evaluation and deployment of A.I. In 2024 alone, the state held a generative A.I. summit, launched an A.I. worker training program and unveiled pilot projects examining A.I.’s impact on aiding traffic congestion and language accessibility.
The Santa Clara, Calif.-based Nvidia, too, has taken part in boosting California’s A.I. position. The chipmaker’s efforts across the state include collaborations with schools in the University of California and California State University systems that range from projects centered on educating students in underwater data technology to an initiative that will train a large language model with nearly a century of journalism from Black journalists in California.
Nvidia isn’t the only company looking to enhance A.I. literacy as it continues developing the technology. Google (GOOGL), for example, offers an A.I. Essentials Course that teaches foundational A.I. skills and aims to boost productivity for workers across industries. Amazon (AMZN) Web Services (AWS) also offers A.I. certifications for workers and plans to train 2 million people for free by 2025. Intel, meanwhile, hopes to arm 30 million people with A.I. skills by 2030 through initiatives like its college-based A.I. for Workforce Program.
