University of Florida opens $150 million facility for data science and information technology

The University of Florida has held a grand opening for a new $150 million data science and information technology facility on the Gainesville campus.

The Gainesville Sun reports that the Malachowsky Hall for Data Science & Information Technology will serve as a space for medicine, pharmacy and engineering. Its seven stories will be a hub for advancing computing, communication and cyber technologies to further support the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) across the curriculum.

The 263,440-square-foot hall aims to set a standard for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) buildings across national and international university campuses.

Malachowsky Hall was funded with $110 million from the state along with additional private and college funds. It contains makerspaces for innovation in the fields of virtual reality, internet of things and robotics as well as labs for artificial intelligence, robotics and cybersecurity.

The university is working to integrate AI into teaching. It has around 300 faculty members engaged in AI teaching and research, and recently gained support from the state to add over 110 more.

“UF is giving students and faculty more tools and opportunities to move the needle than we’ve seen in a generation,” said University President Ben Sasse. “In a space designed to fuel breakthroughs and boost multidisciplinary collaboration, this building is a critical component of UF’s push to build one of the most forward-thinking and comprehensive research and teaching institutions of our time.”

The facility is named in honor of Chris Malachowsky, a UF alumnus and co-founder of NVIDIA, an AI and accelerated computing company based in Silicon Valley. He collaborated with architects to design the new hall’s façade.