A new AI education initiative in the State of Utah, developed in collaboration with NVIDIA, is set to advance the state’s commitment to workforce training and economic growth.
The public-private partnership aims to equip universities, community colleges and adult education programs across Utah with the resources to develop skills in generative AI.
“AI will continue to grow in importance, affecting every sector of Utah’s economy,” said Spencer Cox, governor of Utah. “We need to prepare our students and faculty for this revolution. Working with NVIDIA is an ideal path to help ensure that Utah is positioned for AI growth in the near and long term.”
As part of the new initiative, Utah’s educators can gain certification through the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute University Ambassador Program. The program offers high-quality teaching kits, extensive workshop content and access to NVIDIA GPU-accelerated workstations in the cloud.
By empowering educators with the latest AI skills and technologies, the initiative seeks to create a competitive advantage for Utah’s entire higher education system.
“We believe that AI education is more than a pathway to innovation — it’s a foundation for solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges,” said Manish Parashar, director of the University of Utah Scientific Computing and Imaging (SCI) Institute, which leads the One-U Responsible AI Initiative. “By equipping students and researchers with the tools to explore, understand and create with AI, we empower them to be able to drive advancements in medicine, engineering and beyond.”
The initiative will begin with the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) and several other universities in the state, including the University of Utah, Utah State University, Utah Valley University, Weber State University, Utah Tech University, Southern Utah University, Snow College and Salt Lake Community College.
Setting Up Students and Professionals for Success
The Utah AI education initiative will benefit students entering the job market and working professionals by helping them expand their skill sets beyond community college or adult education courses.
Utah state agencies are exploring how internship and apprenticeship programs can offer students hands-on experience with AI skills, helping bridge the gap between education and industry needs. This initiative aligns with Utah’s broader goals of fostering a tech-savvy workforce and positioning the state as a leader in AI innovation and application.
As AI continues to evolve and gain prevalence across industries, Utah’s proactive approach to equipping educators and students with resources and training will help prepare its workforce for the future of technology, sharpening its competitive edge.