The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) lays out a series of key objectives:
 

Harness AI to grow the economy & create jobs

• NVIDIA aims to provide technical guidance, mentorship, and access to advanced AI hardware and software resources to support cutting-edge research initiatives.
• California will explore opportunities to support early-stage AI startups and public-private partnerships to create AI innovation zones and job creation hubs.
• NVIDIA strives to explore hackathons or design sprints that showcase practical applications of AI in California.

Training for students, educators, and workers

• California and NVIDIA plan to collaborate on creating AI laboratories in higher education facilities that can be equipped to meet the evolving needs of AI education and research.
• California will fund AI worker training initiatives across educational institutions and industries and work with NVIDIA to develop faculty programs to improve AI literacy and curriculum.
• NVIDIA aims to create pipelines and learning paths for AI talent and industry-recognized certifications for AI in specific sectors, including train-the-trainer programs for faculty.
• California will adopt skills and training for state careers, including new roles for AI specialists in government.

Promote statewide innovation, real-world applications

• NVIDIA and California will support initiatives to use AI technologies to address local  challenges, including opportunities for students to work on real-world AI projects.
• NVIDIA to help enable access to cutting-edge AI hardware, software, and cloud computing resources for educational and research initiatives.

Direct collaboration with Community College system

• Integrate AI concepts into curriculum for students to learn how to use AI applications to help them get jobs in high-demand sectors.
• Organize AI workshops and bootcamps relevant to in-demand local jobs and collaborate with regional employers to build up an in-demand skilled workforce.
• Identify faculty for AI ambassador programs and faculty development programs, expand AI certificate programs across colleges to meet local employer needs.

“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. 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.” – Sonya Christian, Chancellor of California Community Colleges 

Following today’s announcement, California is issuing a call to action encouraging other AI and tech stakeholders to join future partnerships to ensure California continues to be a global leader in education, innovation, research, and preparing the workforce of the future and today. California’s world-class University of California and California State University systems will also partner with the state on these efforts in the future.