The University of Michigan has established a partnership with OpenAI that will bring additional artificial intelligence resources, research funding and computing power to campus.
The collaboration also will include joint research projects between the university and OpenAI, focusing on AI applications that broadly benefit society.
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The agreement with OpenAI — a leading artificial intelligence research and deployment company and the creator of ChatGPT — is part of NextGenAI, a broader $50 million effort by the company to advance research and education in partnership with research institutions.
The partnership will further enhance the university’s ability to conduct groundbreaking artificial intelligence research, university officials said.
“Working with OpenAI provides a special opportunity to collaborate with researchers producing some of the most influential AI developments today and gain access to leading edge models and tools,” said Michael Wellman, professor of computer science and engineering in the College of Engineering and principal investigator for the partnership.
Under the agreement, OpenAI will provide application programming interface — commonly known as API — credits, giving U-M researchers access to the company’s advanced AI models. These credits, which function like prepaid access to OpenAI’s AI tools, will enable faculty and students to explore AI applications across fields.
The partnership also includes additional resources for high-performance computing, allowing the university to purchase computing power from a provider of its choice. OpenAI also will contribute research grants to the university, which will be awarded to faculty to advance AI-related scholarship.
“Developing a relationship at this scope allows us to showcase the breadth of AI-relevant research at the University of Michigan, including core technology, impactful applications, and societal implications,” said Wellman, also the Lynn A. Conway Collegiate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering. “It complements other strategic partnerships that U-M is developing with industry and government related to AI and contributes to our effort to build a campuswide AI research community.”
NextGenAI, a consortium of 15 leading research institutions and OpenAI, will “accelerate research breakthroughs” and “empower students, educators and researchers to solve hard problems and push the frontiers of knowledge,” according to an OpenAI news release.
In addition to U-M and OpenAI, founding NextGenAI partners include Caltech, the California State University system, Duke University, the University of Georgia, Harvard University, Howard University, MIT, the University of Mississippi, Ohio State University, the University of Oxford in England, Sciences Po in France, Texas A&M University, Boston Children’s Hospital and the Boston Public Library.
The partnership aligns with U-M’s broader strategy to expand its AI research footprint. The university’s strategic vision — Vision 2034 — includes a commitment to “expand the development and deployment of artificial intelligence and data science” over the next decade.
“The University of Michigan is thrilled to be a key partner in OpenAI’s NextGenAI consortium, collaborating with leading institutions to drive transformational, ethically grounded advances in research, scholarship and education,” President Santa J. Ono said.
“This initiative marks the beginning of what we envision as a long and meaningful partnership between the university and OpenAI, shaping the future of AI for the public good.”
Beyond expanding access to AI models and computing power, the partnership establishes a framework for joint research projects between OpenAI and the university.
“The University of Michigan is at the leading edge of AI research in higher education, and this partnership with OpenAI represents an exciting opportunity to expand our capabilities,” said Arthur Lupia, interim vice president for research and innovation.
“With access to OpenAI’s advanced models and additional funding to procure computing resources, our researchers will be better equipped to push the boundaries of what AI can achieve.”
