Nvidia promises to give Californians free AI training with new initiative

Nvidia has partnered with the state of California to provide a first-of-its-kind training program, offering AI skills sessions for residents.

The office of governor Gavin Newsom announced the two parties had signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding (MoU) on 9 August 2024.

The initiative, cosigned by Newsom and Jensen Huang, founder and CEO at Nvidia, promises to train students, educators, and workers; support job creation; promote innovation; and implement AI to solve social challenges and improve the lives of all California residents.

The MoU also included a few ancillary goals for the project, namely bringing new AI resources from Nvidia into community colleges, including supporting the curriculum, hardware, software, AI labs, workshops, and more.

The project claims to build on an executive order issued by Newsom in September calling for AI to be deployed responsibly in the state and included its own state worker training program.

Newsom said it's vital that Californians benefit from the state’s position as a world leader in AI and that residents can access resources to cultivate the skills required to take advantage of the opportunities the technology offers.

“California’s world-leading companies are pioneering AI breakthroughs, and it’s essential that we create more opportunities for Californians to get the skills to utilize this technology and advance their careers,” the governor’s office said in a statement. 

“We’re teaming up with NVIDIA to connect AI tools directly to students, educators, and workers – creating a pipeline to drive the innovations of the future.”

Teaming up with Nvidia will help California capitalize on the AI boom

The MoU sets out a number of key objectives it aims  to achieve, such as collaborating to create AI laboratories in higher education facilities that can be kitted-out with the latest technology for AI research and education.

Direct collaboration with the community college system will be central to the program, the release added, citing comments from Sonya Chrisitan, chancellor of California Community Colleges, who said the state cannot afford to be static as AI transforms education.

“This partnership will help the California Community Colleges and its more than 2 million students prepared with industry aligned skills in AI and ready on day one for careers that will drive their prosperity and our state’s economic competitiveness,” she explained.

“We can’t stand still as AI changes the future of learning, and our approach prioritizes equitable access to AI teaching and learning enhancements that will lift up underserved populations.” 

Nvidia said it will provide technical guidance, mentorship, and access to advanced AI hardware and software resources to support cutting-edge research initiatives. 

The technology giant also said it aims to create pipelines and learning paths for AI talent in the state, along with industry-recognized AI certifications for specific sectors.

Similarly, the firm will explore setting up events such as hackathons and design sprints to showcase the practical applications of AI in California.

Commenting on the initiative, Jensen Huang said the technology sector, and industry more generally, is at an inflection point that will change various sectors around the world, and so preparing for this future is essential for California’s prosperity.

“We’re in the early stages of a new industrial revolution that will transform trillion-dollar industries around the world. Together with California, Nvidia will train students, college faculty, developers, and data scientists to harness this technology to prepare California for tomorrow’s challenges and unlock prosperity throughout the state.”