The Georgia Tech College of Engineering recently established an AI supercomputer hub dedicated exclusively to teaching students. This initiative—called the AI Makerspace—was launched in partnership with NVIDIA.
Focusing on undergraduate students initially, the AI Makerspace aims to provide access to computing resources typically reserved for researchers or technology companies. And students will access the cluster online as part of their coursework, enhancing their AI skills through hands-on experience. This Makerspace will also better position students after graduation as they work with AI professionals and help shape the technology’s future applications.
The Georgia Tech AI Makerspace is a dedicated computing cluster combined with NVIDIA AI Enterprise software. And the software resides on an advanced AI infrastructure designed, built, and deployed by Penguin Solutions, providing a virtual gateway to a high-performance computing environment.
The project’s first phase is powered by 20 NVIDIA HGX H100 systems, housing 160 NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs (graphics processing units), one of the most powerful computational accelerators capable of enabling and supporting advanced AI and machine learning efforts. This system is interconnected with an NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking platform featuring in-network computing.
To put this supercomputing power into perspective, it would take a single NVIDIA H100 GPU one second to perform a multiplication operation that would take Georgia Tech’s 50,000 students 22 years to achieve.
The students and faculty will also receive support through NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute resources, such as faculty-run NVIDIA workshops, certifications, a university ambassador program, curriculum-aided teaching kits, and a developer community network. And the partnership between the Georgia Tech and NVIDIA signifies the College’s significant commitment to best-in-class enterprise AI hardware and software.
The AI Makerspace expands on Georgia Tech’s theory-focused AI curriculum by offering students a hands-on platform to tackle real-world AI challenges, develop advanced applications, and present their AI-driven ideas at scale. And it complements two recent “AI for Engineering” announcements by the College: the unveiling of Georgia Tech’s first minor degree program in AI and machine learning, as well as the re-imagining and creation of 14 core AI courses for undergrads.
The effort is supported by Georgia Tech’s Partnership for an Advanced Computing Environment (PACE), which is providing sustainable leading-edge cyberinfrastructure and support, ensuring students have the necessary tools and assistance to best utilize the cluster.
Undergraduate students who are currently enrolled in ECE 4252: Fundamentals of Machine Learning (FunML) are accessing the AI Makerspace to learn, experiment, prototype, and showcase their AI-driven ideas at scale. This fall, the AI Makerspace will be incorporated into the curriculum of all eight engineering schools.
By spring 2025, all Georgia Tech engineering students (undergraduate and graduate) will have access to non-instructional learning. In 2026, Georgia Tech plans to set up the AI Makerspace Omniverse, a sandbox for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). The education and research hub is based on NVIDIA Omniverse, a platform for connecting and developing 3D tools and applications, and will be available to all students.
The hub was designed to be utilized in each of Georgia Tech’s six colleges, placing a unique emphasis on human-AI interaction. And by doing so, it ensures that AI is viewed as a transformative force, encouraging innovation that extends beyond the confines of a single field.
KEY QUOTES:
“The launch of the AI Makerspace represents another milestone in Georgia Tech’s legacy of innovation and leadership in education. Thanks to NVIDIA’s advanced technology and expertise, our students at all levels have a path to make significant contributions and lead in the rapidly evolving field of AI.”
– Raheem Beyah, dean of the College and Southern Company Chair
“The City of Atlanta commends the leadership of Georgia Tech and the College of Engineering in advancing education and technology through the AI Makerspace. Partnerships with industry leaders such as NVIDIA propel our students and workforce toward tomorrow, further enhancing Atlanta’s status as an innovation hub.”
– Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens
“AI supercomputers provide a platform to help drive powerful new discoveries that could solve some of the world’s most complex challenges. Georgia Tech’s AI Makerspace will provide students with access to NVIDIA’s accelerated computing platform, equipping them with the technology to push the boundaries of AI learning and research.”
– Cheryl Martin, director of Higher Education and Research at NVIDIA
“The AI Makerspace represents a significant advancement in technology for education. To draw a comparison, the makerspace will provide a technological upgrade equivalent to switching from an etch-a-sketch to an iPad. That’s the level of difference in technology that the AI Makerspace provides to students.”
“AI is increasingly interdisciplinary and an irreversibly important part of today’s workforce. To meet the needs of tomorrow’s innovation, we need a diverse workforce proficient in utilizing AI across all levels.”
– Arijit Raychowdhury, professor and Steve W. Chaddick School Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering
“By initially focusing on undergraduates, the AI Makerspace at Georgia Tech is leaning in on the important work of providing technology to help educate an emerging new segment of students who could conceivably be called Generation AI, We’re pleased to partner with Georgia Tech and NVIDIA to help make the AI Makerspace a reality. With the speed and evolution of AI, it’s critical that those who will be developers and users of AI, now and in the future, are grounded by the best in higher education and have access to the latest, ever-evolving technology.”
– Mark Adams, president and CEO of SGH, Penguin Solutions’ corporate parent
“The intelligent system will serve as a tutor and facilitator. It will be the lens through which students can tap into the world of AI, and it will empower them by removing any hurdle that stands in the way of them testing their ideas. It will also facilitate the integration of the AI Makerspace into existing classes.”
– Ghassan AlRegib, the John and Marilu McCarty Chair of Electrical Engineering
“Democratizing AI is not just about giving students access to a large pool of GPU resources. Deep collaboration with instructors is required to develop different solutions to empower students to use the resources easily without necessarily having to master specific aspects of AI or the underlying infrastructure.”
– Didier Contis, executive director of academic technology, innovation, and research computing for the Office of Information Technology
