A new high-end computer system provided by will be used to experiment with local artificial intelligence models for sensitive data, training for students, and faculty research at Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ.
The computer was gifted without cost from the Dell seed program to accelerate technology innovation, after Concordia staff wrote about how they could use the hardware and agreed to serve as a reference for others interested in the technology.
“This is a great opportunity for us on two different AI fronts. First, this will allow us to run AI locally on a completely Concordia-controlled computer,” said Dr. Darin Ulness, professor of chemistry and chair of Concordia’s AI Council. “As we think about our AI ecosystem here, this could help us deliver AI efficiency to campus offices that deal with sensitive information, for example, financial aid or the registrar.
“Second, this computer system will be available to students to learn how to install, run, and deploy AI models. It will provide students with access to a reasonably high-end system, which would be something like they might see in the workplace.”
The system was placed in the Offutt School of Business for the summer, where it will be used by students doing research with computer science professor Dr. Ahmed Kamel, said Antony Pietrzak, director of IT infrastructure for Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ.
“As a workstation, it is not going to be a server for the whole campus at large, but more of a niche for those students looking for a particular avenue of AI research,” Pietrzak explained. “As development happens with computer science and students, there could be other programs and things opened at a larger scope — but that’s yet to be fully finalized.”
The system will likely make its debut for demonstrations to a wider audience during the 2025 Faith, Reason, and World Affairs Symposium, “Responsibly Engaging with AI to Make a Difference in the World,” on Sept. 17.
For more information about the symposium, which will bring people together to consider artificial intelligence’s impact and the moral accountability issues surrounding it, visit ConcordiaCollege.edu/Symposium.