Intel expands college AI training programme to 11 US states

Intel is working with Dell to expand its AI for Workforce Program to 18 additional institutions across 11 US states to help educate the next generation of US technologists, engineers, and inventors.

The programme, which began in 2020 as a collaboration with a community college in Arizona, will be available to a total of 800,000 students across these new schools. Students who complete the programme will receive a certificate or an associate degree in AI.

The chipmaker said that the programme helps students gain “critically-needed job skills” in the field of artificial intelligence. Students can choose to study courses on data collection, computer vision, AI model training, coding, and the societal impacts and ethics of AI.

The company is also collaborating with Dell, which will provide technical expertise to schools on how best to configure AI labs for teaching in-person, hybrid, and online students.

The programme will now expand from its pilot in Arizona, spreading to California, New Mexico, Nevada, New Jersey, Arizona, Wisconsin, Texas, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Michigan.

“The next-generation workforce will need skills and training in AI to develop solutions to the world’s greatest challenges, and community colleges play a huge role in unleashing innovative thinking,” said Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO. “Community college is where I developed my passion for technology and kicked off the career journey that eventually led to my dream job as the CEO of Intel.”

The company added that AI technology should be shaped by people offering “diverse voices and experiences”, and that community colleges offer the best chance to democratise AI technology, as these schools attract students with “the richest variety of backgrounds and expertise”.

Intel also stated that there are plans underway to expand the programme to 50 more community and vocational colleges in 2022.

Last month, Intel unveiled the latest family of Xeon workstation CPUs, comprising five 10nm chips and built on the Ice Lake architecture with up to 38 cores and support for up to 4TB memory. The company claimed the W-3300 family is designed for advanced professional applications like AI, architecture, engineering, construction, and media.