San Jose, SJSU announce collaboration with NVIDIA to further workforce development, AI innovation

With artificial intelligence increasingly becoming part of our everyday lives, the city of San Jose, San Jose State University and Nvidia have announced a partnership that will solidify the city as a leader in AI.

Nvidia has signed two agreements — including the first workforce pipeline initiative in the company’s history with a city government — that offer training programs to enhance the skills of the workforce and drive innovation in the heart of Silicon Valley.

“Nvidia has created training programs around artificial intelligence that also sit at different levels, some beginning level (to) get your head around AI,” said Greg Estes, vice president of Corporate Marketing and Developer Programs at NVIDIA. “Our model for partnerships is to take these training programs that we have and work with the city and with the California State University system and also community colleges to be able to bring this capability to the community in ways that match the way that they want to teach.”

AI represents one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, and financial experts estimate the market could grow to more than a trillion dollars within the next decade.

Companies based in downtown San Jose alone have raised over a billion in venture funding, according to a study by the commercial real estate firm CBRE.

Along with the technology becoming more present in day-to-day applications such as mapping, shopping or even recommending televisions shows, local, state and federal governments have begun to experiment with AI to drive efficiency and solve problems that their constituents face.

Last week, the city hosted the first GovAI Coalition Summit, where hundreds of governmental entities and vendors shared best practices, templates and practical solutions. The coalition has grown into the hundreds after starting at around 50 last year, representing the growing demand for investing in AI solutions.

San Jose’s collaboration with Nvidia includes:

• Sharing educational tools to enhance city employees’ AI skills.
• Promoting AI awareness through workshops with the Nvidia Deep Learning Institute.
• Establishing mentorship programs and connecting AI startups through the Nvidia Inception program.

The partnership could also result in streamlining approval for AI initiatives, the creation of financial incentives to spur projects and offering the use of city facilities to support research and development

San Jose also has expressed interest in working with Nvidia to pilot AI programs to further its sustainability goals, including reducing the carbon footprint.

City leaders have long sought to rival San Francisco and make San Jose the capitol of AI innovation. Last year, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and District 4 Councilmember David Cohen proposed several strategies to encourage companies to come to the city, including discounted utility rates, expedited approval processes and other financial perks, as they also called for using AI to address civil problems.

Mahan noted that the city has taken a leading position in experimenting with AI, referencing the city’s network of automated license plate readers that he said was on track to recover over $3 million worth of stolen vehicles. The city also has used technology to detect potholes and homeless encampments and has launched a pilot program with the VTA to reduce waiting times at red lights and improve routes. Last week, the city approved another pilot program to model and predict traffic impacts from construction and significant events.

“We need to prepare this next generation for the incredible innovation we’re seeing driven by companies like Nvidia,” Mahan said. “We need to ensure that no one is left behind, and what this agreement today represents is an opportunity to build a more inclusive economy as it is more innovative, as it is rapidly changing and to harness the power of AI for civic and social good. We need to use AI to solve problems, the problems that our communities most care about.”

SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson said the agreement with Nvidia was the first of its kind in the California State University system.

Despite Nvidia employing only about 32,000 employees, it already has a strong workforce relationship with San Jose State, as about 700 are alums of the school.

Along with strengthening its research in AI, machine learning, robotics and cybersecurity, the university hopes to give its students a competitive edge in the tech industry by equipping them and faculty members with enhanced skills.

“The power of the three of us is exponentially greater than the individual contributions of each of our various entities,” Teniente-Matson said of the partnership. “We leverage our ability to serve as a global model for research and workforce needs that are impacted by AI for social and civic good.”