Rowan to partner in NJ Supercomputer Initiative

Governor Mikie Sherrill on Tuesday announced the launch of the New Jersey Supercomputer Initiative (NJSCI), a groundbreaking, more than $125 million public-private partnership that will drive the next generation of research, innovation, education, and workforce development across the Garden State.

Rowan University is part of the initiative, a partnership between all eight of New Jersey’s higher education research institutions and the New Jersey Council of County Colleges. 

One of the country's top 100 public research universities, Rowan has invested heavily in expanding its computing capacity and artificial intelligence research over the past decade. 

“The NJ Supercomputing Initiative will help shape the future of education, research and industry by accelerating scientific discovery and opening new opportunities for innovation,” said Rowan University President Dr. Ali A. Houshmand. “Rowan is committed to being at the forefront of that future, advancing research, driving innovation and preparing the next generation to lead in an AI-driven world.”

The supercomputer will allow faculty and students to conduct advanced research on key challenges like cancer research and flood risk mapping, in a cost-effective, timely way that would be impossible with conventional computers. 

Tiana Noll-Walker, a Rowan University Ph.D. student, was the only student to speak during the event. She discussed the impact of AI on her area of research in complex biological systems, particularly on faster drug design. 

“AI gives us the opportunity to find patterns and connections within that biological data that humans wouldn’t be able to do otherwise,” Noll-Walker said. “In turn, we’re able to make better medicine, design safer drugs and find causes and cures for diseases that we wouldn’t be able to before.”  

The state initiative is expected to double the current supercomputing capacity available in aggregate across all of New Jersey’s research universities and dramatically increase available capacity for the most advanced supercomputing hardware, while also expanding world-class education and training, unlocking economic opportunity, and creating good-paying jobs for New Jerseyans.

To read the complete announcement, visit Sherrill’s website.