USC President Carol L. Folt has announced a $1 billion initiative for computing research and education, focusing on AI, machine learning, data science, augmented and virtual reality, robotics, gaming, and blockchain. The initiative, called USC Frontiers of Computing, aims to integrate digital literacy across disciplines and create responsible leaders for the future workforce. The project will include establishing the USC School of Advanced Computing, hiring 90 new faculty members by 2030, and expanding the university’s influence on technology across various industries.
$1 Billion Initiative for Computing Research and Education
USC President Carol L. Folt has announced a $1 billion-plus initiative for computing research and education across disciplines, focusing on AI, machine learning, data science, augmented and virtual reality, robotics, gaming, and blockchain. The initiative, called Frontiers of Computing, aims to integrate computing throughout education and research to enhance digital literacy for all students and maintain USC’s position as a top provider of tech professionals.
The initiative is seeded with a $260 million gift from the Lord Foundation of California and encompasses a multipronged effort to push the boundaries of computing into a new era. This includes establishing a new school, the USC School of Advanced Computing, which will be headquartered in a seven-story, 116,000 square-foot facility, Dr Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Human-Centered Computation Hall. The building is currently under construction and will formally open in the fall of 2024.
Aggressive Recruitment and Hiring
As part of the initiative, USC plans to hire 30 new faculty members in the first three years who are leaders in computer science and computing-based research, with 60 additional hires by 2030. These new faculty members will hold appointments in multiple schools at USC, recognizing that computational methods, particularly AI, are transforming how people live and work.
“The world needs engineers and computer scientists to solve the grand challenges we face. The new School of Advanced Computing will tackle this goal by developing reimagined engineering curricula, that also emphasize the ethics of technology, in our fast-changing world.”
Yannis C. Yortsos, Dean, USC Viterbi School of Engineering
The initiative will also bolster USC’s influence on technology across various industries and expand its footprint in Silicon Beach on L.A.’s West side. It is already home to two of USC’s tech incubators, the Information Sciences Institute and Institute for Creative Technologies. USC currently has a $9 billion economic footprint in the L.A. area, according to a 2017 study, and its impact is expanding to the East Coast with the recent opening of the USC Capital Campus in Washington, D.C.
Integrating Computing Across Disciplines
The Frontiers of Computing initiative aims to broadly integrate computing across multiple disciplines and academic programs. USC’s goal is to prepare students for a more tech-intensive world of work, spark new technological advances, and shape responsible policy through new programs, course offerings, and experiential education.
USC President Carol L. Folt said, “I want every student who comes through our programs, whether they are in science, business, the humanities or the arts, to have a solid grounding in technology and the ethics of the work that they do. We will integrate digital literacy across disciplines to create responsible leaders for the workforce of the future.”
Focus on Ethics and Responsibility
USC is committed to instilling a culture of responsibility and conscience among students, faculty, and its broader community across academic programs and research that will influence application, development, policy, and research. Ishwar K. Puri, senior vice president for research and innovation, says the new Center for Generative A.I. and Society is prominent within the initiative’s ethics endeavour.
“The potential is tremendous not only for great progress in applications such as cryptography and seismic simulations, but also for foundational breakthroughs in research areas like black holes, computational biology and quantum materials.”
Amber D. Miller, Dean, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
The recently opened centre brings together experts from across the university to navigate difficult discussions about ethics and responsibility and generative A.I. This focus on ethics and responsibility is essential in shaping the future of technology and its impact on society.
USC’s History of Innovation and Tech Talent
USC leaders began developing the Frontiers of Computing initiative three years ago, before the recent rise of artificial intelligence and generative A.I. USC is already the leading provider of tech talent for the nation, with more than 1,300 students per year graduating with bachelor’s, master’s, and PhDs in computer science.
“This endeavor is a tremendous opportunity to apply new computing tools to accelerate and expand the impact of scientific discovery. It is not only the ability to solve problems that sets this apart, but the speed with which it can be done.”
Ishwar K. Puri, USC Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation
Folt emphasizes the importance of taking the momentum of change and coupling it with USC’s history of innovation to create something that has never been done before. The Frontiers of Computing initiative is a significant step towards achieving this goal and maintaining USC’s position as a leader in technology and innovation.
“I want every student who comes through our programs, whether they are in science, business, the humanities or the arts, to have a solid grounding in technology and the ethics of the work that they do,” Folt said. “We will integrate digital literacy across disciplines to create responsible leaders for the workforce of the future.”
“We all know the world is changing very fast right now,” Folt said. “We need to take that momentum of change — and couple it with USC’s history of innovation — to create what has never been done before. And we’re going to do it.”
Summary
USC President Carol L. Folt announced a $1 billion initiative for computing research and education, focusing on AI, machine learning, and data science. The initiative, called Frontiers of Computing, aims to integrate digital literacy across disciplines and create responsible leaders for the future workforce.
“With an entire academic department dedicated to data science, and with technically skilled faculty placed throughout all our business programs, we are well-placed not only to focus on the cutting-edge business applications of technologies like AI and blockchain, but also to understand and shape their consequences for society.”
Geoff Garrett, Dean, USC Marshall School of Business
- USC President Carol L. Folt announces a $1 billion-plus initiative called Frontiers of Computing for computing research and education across disciplines.
- The initiative focuses on AI, machine learning, data science, augmented and virtual reality, robotics, gaming, and blockchain.
- The initiative aims to integrate digital literacy across disciplines to create responsible leaders for the future workforce.
- Frontiers of Computing is seeded with a $260 million gift from the Lord Foundation of California.
- A new school, the USC School of Advanced Computing, will be headquartered in the Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Human-Centered Computation Hall, opening in fall 2024.
- The initiative plans to hire 30 new faculty members in the first three years, with 60 additional hires by 2030.
- USC Frontiers of Computing will expand the university’s influence on technology across various industries and its footprint in Silicon Beach.
- The initiative will integrate computing across multiple disciplines and academic programs, preparing students for a more tech-intensive world of work.
- Ethics will be a key focus, with the new Center for Generative A.I. and Society playing a prominent role in the initiative’s ethics endeavour.
