Morehouse College Receives $5M National Science Foundation Grant To Build A Supercomputer – AfroTech
Morehouse College will help build a supercomputer, projected to be one of the most powerful in the Southeast, according to a news release.
The Morehouse Center for Broadening Participation in Computing has received a grant from the National Science Foundation to start building supercomputer Horizon, which falls under the Leadership-Class Computing Facility (LCCF) project. Morehouse is working with an initial $5 million portion of the grant, and more funds will be disbursed to support ongoing operations.
The project combines “cutting-edge technologies with advanced infrastructure to redefine what is possible in scientific computing,” according to information shared by The University of Texas at Austin, which is leading the $457 million project.
Morehouse, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), will build and house Horizon and provide additional support through summer programs for middle and high school boys, a postbaccalaureate program in AI, and faculty accelerators in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, focused on research, teaching, and grant proposal writing, per a news release.
“Morehouse College is honored to partner with the NSF and the University of Texas at Austin on this transformative project,” said Dr. F. DuBois Bowman, 13th president of Morehouse College, according to the release. “By hosting one of the Southeast’s most powerful academic supercomputers, we are providing HBCUs with unprecedented computational power to explore bold ideas, accelerate discovery, and unleash new frontiers of creativity and innovation. This investment positions our students and faculty to help shape the future of science, technology, and global problem-solving.”
Dr. Kinnis Gosha, principal investigator of the grant and Hortinius I. Chenault Endowed Professor and chair of computer science, commented, in the release:
“This contribution cements Morehouse’s place as the undisputed HBCU leader in artificial intelligence. As a national resource provider, we will empower other HBCUs and non-research-intensive institutions to contribute to growing their research capacity and enhancing student learning.”
Morehouse College will share updates on its progress and present its research at the annual Austin, Texas-based Integrating Supercomputing-Powered Instruction, Research, and Entrepreneurship (InSPIRE) Workshop, the news release noted.
