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Dell Technologies Supports AI Infrastructure Hubs for U.S. Research

How regional AI infrastructure hubs can expand research capacity, workforce readiness, and scientific discovery across the U.S.
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Key takeaways 4 min read

The U.S. National Science Foundation’s $100M State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs Program will fund regional hubs connecting academia, industry, and government to expand research computing access nationwide. Dell Technologies is a named supporting organization, contributing technical expertise and infrastructure design guidance plus training and learning resources to help address uneven AI resource access and advance workforce development aligned to regional job market needs.

Artificial intelligence is accelerating scientific discovery, economic competitiveness and the development of tomorrow’s workforce. Ensuring that researchers, educators and students have access to the advanced AI infrastructure they need is no longer optional – it is essential to U.S. leadership in innovation.

Supporting the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) State and Regional Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Hubs Program is a natural extension of the work we do with higher education institutions and public sector organizations as they build the computational and data infrastructure AI-powered research demands.

Building regional capacity for AI-enabled discovery

Announced this week, the $100 million program will support the creation of up to 10 state and multistate regional AI Infrastructure Hubs. This will bring together academic institutions, industry, philanthropy and state and local governments to expand access to advanced computing, data and other critical AI resources for science and education.

As AI reshapes how research is conducted, access to infrastructure remains uneven across the country. The NSF State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs Program is designed to enable flexible state and regional consortia to build and operate computing resources for researchers, students and educators and help align AI-for-science workforce development with local job market needs.

The program directly supports the recommendations of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s Science: A New Golden Age report. Published in July 2026, it called for expanding world-class R&D infrastructure to support a new era of AI-enabled scientific discovery. The program also supports the White House-led Genesis Mission, a national effort to harness AI for science.

How Dell Technologies is supporting the effort

NSF has named Dell Technologies among the organizations committed to supporting participants in the program. Dell’s support includes:

  • Technical guidance and expertise for principal investigators and state representatives as they explore AI infrastructure designs for their Hub proposals.
  • Direct engagement with state and regional stakeholders through virtual showcases and matchmaking sessions to help institutions identify the right infrastructure approaches for their research and workforce goals.
  • Training and educational resources for students and faculty on AI infrastructure, solution capabilities and system architectures relevant to the Hubs program. This directly supports the workforce development mission at the heart of this initiative.

Skilling is central to making AI real

Infrastructure alone does not determine whether AI delivers on its promise. As institutions expand their capabilities, researchers, faculty, students and staff also need the knowledge and confidence to apply these technologies effectively.

Dell’s approach to skilling reflects this reality. Through strategic partnerships and ecosystem engagement, we help customers, public entities and communities build practical AI readiness. This spans awareness, application and targeted accreditation opportunities. The Hubs program aligns with how Dell thinks about expanding AI opportunity: technology access and human capability must advance together.

A shared commitment to America’s AI future

The program also reflects a principle Dell shares. Strong regional AI ecosystems are built through cross-sector collaboration across higher education, industry, philanthropy and government. Dell Technologies looks forward to working with Hub consortia, principal investigators and the NSF, expanding access to AI resources and equipping students, faculty and researchers with the practical skills to use them.

Institutions interested in learning more are encouraged to connect with their Dell account team or visit Dell’s Higher Education resources.

About the Author: Dan Carroll

Dan Carroll leads the technical strategy and vision to enable Dell Federal to meet the complex, evolving mission and business challenges of the U.S. Federal Government.
Before joining Dell Federal, Dan served as the head contract negotiator for enterprise service agreements at a major IT solution provider, working with Fortune Global 500 companies. His role involved negotiating service level contracts with both government and commercial organizations.
Dan also held the position of lead architectural engineer for the Marine Corps Network Operations and Security Command, both as a commercial contractor and a U.S. Marine. He was responsible for significant portions of the planning, design, and deployment of the military application network architecture.