University of Utah launches AI-driven cloud lab and supercomputer

The University of Utah has been selected by the U.S. National Science Foundation to build AURORA (Autonomous Utah Resource for Open Research Automation), one of twenty programmable cloud laboratory nodes nationally. The $20 million, four‑year project will create a self‑driving laboratory that merges AI, 2D materials and quantum research, allowing scientists and AI agents across the country to design, run and analyse experiments remotely.

In parallel, Utah’s Redtail AI supercomputer was brought online through a $50 million public‑private partnership involving the university, the state of Utah, the Huntsman Family Foundation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and NVIDIA. Redtail ranks No. 159 for performance and No. 76 for energy efficiency on the Top500 list, placing it among the world’s fastest and greenest supercomputers and fifth among U.S. public universities. The system supports the university’s Pro‑Human AI Initiative, aiming to accelerate research, workforce training and innovation across multiple sectors.