Oregon State U Announces $200M Research Complex with Supercomputer for AI, Materials Science, and Robotics

Artist rendering of the Jen-Hsun and Lori Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex

Artist rendering of the Jen-Hsun and Lori Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex

Oregon State University (OSU) in Corvallis has announced the construction of a $200 million research and education complex that will feature a powerful supercomputer to support research in AI, materials science, and robotics. The complex will provide students and researchers with the technology tools to tackle challenges in climate science, oceanography, sustainability, and water resources, as well as support OSU's education in semiconductors and other tech industries in and beyond Oregon.

The 150,000-square-foot facility, named the Jen-Hsun and Lori Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex, is supported by a $50 million gift from Jen-Hsun Huang, founder and CEO of computer company Nvidia, and his wife Lori, who are both OSU alumni. Nvidia will provide a supercomputer capable of "training the largest AI models and perform[ing] complex digital twin simulations,"the university said. It will incorporate NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD and OVX SuperPOD systems, and the water used for cooling will help heat buildings across the OSU campus. The center will also contain an advanced clean room, research laboratories, extended-reality theater, robotics and drone playground, and makerspace.

"The Jen-Hsun and Lori Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex will be an incredible contributor to our state and world by supporting innovation, entrepreneurship, and partnerships with industry and other higher education institutions,"said Edward Feser, OSU provost and executive vice president.

In 2023, with support from the governor and state legislators, OSU plans to request $75 million in state-paid bonding to match philanthropic and university contributions for the complex, as well as seek other donations. Part of the funding will support "targeted faculty hires and the university's goals to increase diversity in STEM fields,"OSU said. The center is expected to open in 2025. For more information, read the full release.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • man viewing holographic display of data and code

    Why Cross-Skilling Is the Smartest Investment a Campus IT Team Can Make

    Higher education IT teams are being asked to keep pace with AI, cloud, and cybersecurity on flat budgets, and hiring a specialist for every new need can no longer keep up. Building adjacent skills across the people already on staff creates more agile, resilient teams that move faster and retain talent without adding headcount. Pluralsight makes the strategy work through skill assessments, tailored learning paths, hands-on labs and sandboxes, and microlearning that fits into the flow of work.

  • Glowing digital padlock breaking into tiny cubic fragments over complex circuit board background

    Report: Basic Security Failures Continue to Fuel Enterprise Breaches

    Despite years of investment in cybersecurity technologies, many enterprise breaches still begin with familiar weaknesses, according to a new report from SonicWall.

  • VSLive! session

    VSLive! San Diego 2026 Puts AI at the Core of the Campus IT Stack

    For higher education IT teams working through AI pilots, ERP integrations, student-facing apps, analytics projects, and mounting security concerns, Visual Studio Live! San Diego 2026 offers a look at the development practices that are shaping the campus technology landscape.

  • A glowing digital brain with neural connections and light trails

    AI Giants Warn It May Be Time to Slow Down

    For years, leaders in the artificial intelligence industry have warned that increasingly capable AI systems could eventually become dangerous, all the while continuing to race to build them. Now, their sentiments have changed.