Governor Kathy Hochul today announced further details of her proposal to expand New York’s first-in-the-nation Empire AI Consortium. The Governor’s FY26 Executive Budget includes $90 million in capital funding to substantially increase the computing power of Empire AI, expand access for SUNY researchers, and support the addition of new members including the University of Rochester, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The proposal will be matched by $50 million in private funding from new members and $25 million in SUNY operating funding over ten years. This investment will make the Empire AI supercomputer more powerful, leading to more research for the public good being done faster and more efficiently compared with currently available computing power.

“The United States is in a race with China and the rest of the world in the global AI revolution, and with our first-in-the-nation Empire AI Consortium, New York is leading the way in research and innovation,” Governor Hochul said. “With Empire AI, we are setting the standard for harnessing the power of AI for the public good and ultimately creating a better future for New Yorkers.”

Last year, Governor Hochul reached historic agreement with the state legislature as part of the FY25 Budget to establish Empire AI, a first-of-its-kind independent consortium to secure New York’s place at the forefront of artificial intelligence research. The consortium will leverage a $275 million state investment to create and launch a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence computing center on the University at Buffalo’s campus. The center will be used by leading New York institutions to promote responsible research and development, create jobs and advance AI for the public good. The founding members of Empire AI include SUNY, CUNY, Columbia University, Cornell University, New York University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the Flatiron Institute.

In October 2024, only six months after Budget enactment, Governor Hochul launched the first phase of Empire AI thanks to a philanthropic contribution from the Simons Foundation. Housed at the University at Buffalo, the Empire AI Alpha system is operating at maximum capacity and has allowed over 200 researchers across the seven founding members to begin work aimed at addressing major societal challenges.

Researchers are already using Empire AI to conduct groundbreaking research, from medical breakthroughs in treating cancer to making better weather predictions, which will make life better for everyday New Yorkers. Current projects include:

• Developing technologies that could provide adaptive speech and language therapies to children with special needs.
• Building models of the climate, which can help communities prepare for future impact of extreme weather events.
• Building models to help analyze CT scans to better diagnose and treat lung cancer.

Now, Governor Hochul’s proposed expansion will allow Empire AI to secure a future full-scale computing system that supports expanded capacity for SUNY and the addition of new members. The proposed new members of Empire AI consortium include:

• University of Rochester, a leading research university and the largest health care system in Upstate New York, will vastly improve AI-powered medical research and give consortium researchers unparalleled access to medical technologies and information.
• Rochester Institute of Technology, which announced the formation of its Artificial Intelligence Hub last August, has proven to be a nationwide leader developing AI solutions for teaching and learning. By joining the consortium, they are contributing academic and strategic power to Empire AI’s member schools and researchers.
• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, one of the top medical schools in the country, the first medical school to establish a Department of Artificial Intelligence (the Windreich Department of AI and Human Health) and is ranked as number 1 in AI according to Nature AI Index, has expressed intent to join the Empire AI consortium. The School will work collaboratively with the other healthcare and public health partners to accelerate health AI research with a focus on translation, aimed at improving New York’s health care and public health infrastructure.
• SUNY will double its participation in Empire AI’s consortium, allowing more researchers and students from SUNY’s most research-intensive campuses to access the world-class computing power.

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, "Thanks to Governor Hochul’s vision and commitment, New York State is a clear leader in harnessing the power of AI – one of the most revolutionary technologies of this century – to improve people’s lives and promote the public good. ESD is proud of its pioneering part in its effort, and eager to work with the expanded consortium, to not only leverage AI to tackle society’s most vexing challenges, but also cultivate New York’s AI ecosystem, which will create quality jobs, attract additional investments, and further grow the state’s economy."

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, “Thanks to Governor Hochul, New York State is leading the nation in the use of artificial intelligence to advance the public good. SUNY’s world-class researchers are already accelerating groundbreaking work on climate change, curing diseases, and civic discourse thanks to Empire AI, and Governor Hochul’s budget proposal will help SUNY and other higher education institutions conduct research that strengthens our economic well-being and national security.”

Empire AI Interim Executive Director Robert Harrison said, “Empire AI is advancing research in public health, environmental science, computing and countless other areas, and we’re doing it at a scale and pace that would have been unthinkable even a few short months ago. This is only possible because of Governor Hochul’s leadership and the legislature’s vision to partner with some of the state’s leading research institutions and invest in New York’s computing capabilities. And thanks to Governor Hochul, we now have the opportunity to do even more, adding new members and increasing our research capabilities to cement New York as the national leader in AI research for the public good.”

Rochester Institute of Technology Research Vice President Ryne Raffaelle said, “Joining Empire AI would strengthen our commitment to leading the way in the higher education artificial intelligence space. Our researchers would have unique opportunities to access cutting-edge equipment, connect with other thought leaders, and engage students in work related to responsible artificial intelligence. This partnership would be valuable for our university and would escalate our state as a national leader in this area.”

University of Rochester Research Vice President Steve Dewhurst said, “AI is rapidly changing our lives in fundamental and profound ways. That’s why we would be so excited to join Empire AI to leverage our incredible assets and strengths in AI and supercomputing. In partnership with our state’s leading experts, we could enhance how we learn, discover, heal, and create, while harnessing our collective strengths to best position New York to lead and benefit from this technology. I am grateful to Governor Hochul for her leadership and vision in creating this innovative collaboration and look forward to working with our partners when it passes in the Budget.”

Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience Director, The Friedman Brain Institute Dean for Academic Affairs, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Chief Scientific Officer, Mount Sinai Health System Dr. Eric Nestler said, "Joining Empire AI would ensure that we remain at the forefront of AI innovation and progress — where AI-driven insights enhance diagnosis, personalize treatments, and revolutionize research and practice. Together, we and members of this consortium would harness the power of AI technology to improve patient health, drive medical breakthroughs, and shape the future of healthcare."

State Senator Jeremy Cooney said, “The Rochester region is fortunate to have nationally renowned universities on the cutting edge of technological research like Rochester Institute of Technology and University of Rochester. Today’s announcement from Governor Hochul that these institutions will be bringing their expertise to the Empire AI consortium is a win for our universities, their students, and our area as a whole. With the inclusion of RIT and University of Rochester, area researchers will be leading the way on AI innovation and helping to establish New York on the forefront of this vital work.”

Assemblymember Harry B. Bronson said, “Congratulations to the Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester on their intention to join Empire AI consortium. This collaboration will connect the Rochester region to the world-class talent and cutting-edge technologies needed to prepare the workforce of today and tomorrow, and ensure these universities continue to lead the way in pioneering technological advancements. As Chair of Labor, I recognize that this initiative is critical to growing our economy by guaranteeing we have the expertise and qualified workforce required for nation-leading research and education.”

Expanding Artificial Intelligence Across New York State
Access to the computing resources that power AI systems is prohibitively expensive and difficult to obtain. These resources are increasingly concentrated in the hands of large technology companies and other global competitors, who maintain outsized control of the AI development ecosystem. As a result, researchers, public interest organizations, and small companies are being left behind, which has enormous implications for AI safety and society at large. Empire AI is bridging this gap and accelerating the development of AI centered in the public interest for New York State. Enabling this pioneering AI research and development is also helping educational institutions nurture the next generation of talent that will create AI-focused technology startups, driving job growth.

By increasing collaboration between New York State’s world-class research institutions, Empire AI is creating efficiencies of scale not achievable by any single university, empowering and attracting top notch faculty, expanding educational opportunity, and enabling responsible innovation that will significantly strengthen our state’s economy and our national security.
The initiative is currently funded by over $400 million in public and private investment, including a $250 million State capital grant investment and $25 million over ten years in SUNY operating funding. The project will also receive more than $125 million from the founding institutions and other private partners, including the Simons Foundation, whose Flatiron Institute works to advance research through computational methods, and Tom Secunda, co-founder of Bloomberg LP and the Secunda Family Foundation, which provides millions of dollars a year in grants to conservation, health care, scientific advancement and other causes.

Governor Hochul’s Innovation Agenda
Governor Hochul’s commitment to advancing New York’s leadership in artificial intelligence builds on her broader agenda to expand cutting-edge technology development in the Empire State. Last year, Governor Hochul announced that IBM CEO Arvind Krishna and Girls Who Code CEO Dr. Tarika Barrett would co-chair the new Emerging Technology Advisory Board (the Board) — an independent group of industry leaders tasked with informing and accelerating New York’s transformation into a hub for growth and innovation. The Board released their initial recommendations in December 2024.

The Governor previously signed New York’s historic Green CHIPS legislation to drive semiconductor research, development, and manufacturing in New York State and announced a $10 billion partnership to bring next-generation chips research to NY CREATES’ Albany NanoTech Complex. The Governor has continued to advance a $620 million Life Science Initiative to support innovation in biomedical research. And through strategic investments like the $113.7 million Battery-NY initiative, Governor Hochul has fueled the growth of the sustainability, green technology and energy storage economies in New York State.

The Governor’s innovation agenda has catalyzed major public and private investments, transforming New York’s economy and creating good-paying jobs of the future. GlobalFoundries recently announced an $11.6 billion investment to expand its chip manufacturing campus in New York’s Capital Region, creating 1,500 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs. In 2022, Micron announced a 20-year, $100 billion investment to create a megafab campus in Central New York, creating 50,000 new direct and indirect jobs and unlocking hundreds of millions of dollars in community benefits.