The University of Washington and Microsoft have expanded their longstanding partnership by opening UW’s first permanent, full-time location on Microsoft’s Redmond campus.
The site will become the new home of the University of Washington’s Global Innovation Exchange, an interdisciplinary engineering and business institute focused on emerging technology.
Microsoft is supporting the location with a $42 million in-kind contribution.
Microsoft is providing the 48,500-square-foot facility to UW through a rent-free lease, and it occupies two floors in the south wing of Building 92 on Microsoft’s West Campus.
The space includes six classrooms, prototyping facilities, a distance-learning studio, specialized laboratories, workshops, and collaboration areas.
UW and Microsoft intend for the location to serve as a center for applied education and research involving artificial intelligence, robotics, and other emerging technologies.
The arrangement places a UW academic unit directly on Microsoft’s corporate campus while keeping the university’s academic independence.
Microsoft launched GIX in 2017 with foundational support. The program supports more than 150 students annually through its Master of Science in Technology Innovation and professional development programs.
Microsoft previously provided a $10 million founding endowment for GIX and approximately $60 million of in-kind facility improvements and lease payments at GIX’s prior Bellevue location between 2017 and 2023.
GIX operates as a self-sustaining unit and does not receive direct operating funding from UW or the State of Washington.
KEY QUOTES:
“It’s fitting that this new chapter in the longtime partnership between the UW and Microsoft is such an innovative and novel approach to educating adaptable, ethical leaders, creators and problem solvers. As we face the complex future of emerging and rapidly evolving technologies, our state, region and world will benefit from the training taking place here at the UW in the heart of the Microsoft campus.”
Robert Jones, President of the University of Washington
“GIX’s new headquarters on Microsoft’s Redmond campus is uniquely positioned to bring together world-class research, cutting-edge industry expertise and the next generation of talent under one roof. At a time when AI is transforming how we learn and work, that proximity will create new opportunities for University of Washington students, Microsoft employees and researchers to learn from one another and accelerate innovation.”
Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft
“At GIX, we keep people, not technology, as our focus, recognizing that technological change is not an end unto itself. Its value depends on how people use it to create opportunity, strengthen institutions and contribute to broader social progress. Today, as we begin operating from our amazing new home in Redmond, we can now confidently offer a truly incomparable learning experience that is destined to make our vision a reality.”
Sean Carr, Executive Director and CEO of the University of Washington’s Global Innovation Exchange
