As interest in artificial intelligence development and economic opportunities continues to grow, institutions across the state have united to create the New Mexico Artificial Intelligence Consortium to advance the development and understanding of AI and machine learning.
The founding members of the New Mexico AI Consortium believe teamwork will enable New Mexico to play a larger role in the artificial intelligence space. The collaboration includes Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, The University of New Mexico (UNM), New Mexico State University (NMSU), New Mexico Institute for Mining and Technology (NM Tech), Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) and New Mexico Consortium.
"This collaboration between the laboratories and universities of New Mexico will strengthen our ability to harness the potential of artificial intelligence for solving our most important challenges in science and security, and provides exciting opportunities for building teams across a broad span of disciplines," said Jason Pruet, director of the National Security AI Office at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Each of the partnering institutions brings unique capabilities to the project. Sandia National Labs brings expertise in AI security, reliability, scientific and data-driven machine learning, AI software and hardware co-design, and more. Los Alamos National Lab will provide expertise in high-performance computing, advanced modeling, and data analysis. The resources of both national labs will provide the computational power necessary to develop AI capabilities and technologies.
"By uniting New Mexico's premier research institutions, we're creating an ecosystem that will accelerate breakthroughs in AI while ensuring these technologies are robust, secure, and beneficial to society. This consortium positions New Mexico to be a national leader in developing trustworthy AI solutions for critical challenges in national security, energy, and beyond," said Jen Gaudioso, director of the Center for Computing Research at Sandia National Laboratories.
In addition to furthering the development of AI technologies and data security, the Consortium will also help provide cutting-edge insights to the state's residents through comprehensive educational programs and specialized training initiatives.
"AI will have a tremendous impact on research and education around the world. The NM AI Consortium will work to ensure that New Mexicans understand the risks and benefits of this new technology and how it can be used to solve important problems in science, engineering and medicine. We are building a talented workforce that uses AI to solve problems right here in New Mexico," said Melanie Moses, professor of Computer Science and Special Advisor to the Vice President for Research for Artificial Intelligence at UNM.
UNM, NMSU, NM Tech and CNM will offer the consortium research strength, flexibility and a pipeline for workforce development. CNM's existing certificate in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning presents an excellent opportunity to engage students with relevant content early in their academic careers. Through collaboration, the institutions can help offer students educational opportunities in AI at every academic level.
"NMSU is delighted to join forces with the other research institutions in the state and the two national labs to coordinate research and educational efforts in AI," said Enrico Pontelli, NMSU dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Regents Professor in computer science. "The collective talent has the potential of placing New Mexico on the national map as a leader in AI. NMSU has a long tradition of work in this field and this will enable us to leverage such talent and connect it with the strong efforts that are taking place across the state."
Working as a collective, the institutions also hope to collaborate with industry by supporting AI-based startups, fostering technology transfer and more. Ultimately, the work could help create an AI ecosystem in the state and contribute to job creation and diversification of the local economy.
Learn more about the project on the New Mexico AI Consortium website.
