Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Overview

Dr. Nabeel Alzahrani

Ph.D. in Computer Science

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Adjunct Professor of Computer Science & Engineering�Consultant in Identity, Security & Enterprise Technology

Co-founder, Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Fusion Energy, and Semiconductors (AQFS) Research and Training Lab

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National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR)

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• A national cyberinfrastructure to connect U.S. researchers and educators to powerful AI resources.

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• Mission: To democratize access to the computational power, data, and models needed for cutting-edge AI.

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• Think of it as a "national lab for AI" that you can access from campus.

What is the NAIRR Pilot?

A major collaborative effort led by:

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• Lead Agency: The National Science Foundation (NSF)

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• Federal Partners: DOE, NIH, NASA, DOD, and many more.

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• Industry Partners: Google, Microsoft, NVIDIA, IBM, OpenAI, AWS, Meta, and others.

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• This means you are accessing a trusted, federally backed platform.

Who is Behind It?

The NAIRR provides free access to:

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• High-Performance Computing (HPC): GPUs for training large models.

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• Cloud Platforms: AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure credits.

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• AI Models & APIs: Access to state-of-the-art models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Hugging Face, and NASA.

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• Datasets: Open and secure datasets for training and testing.

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• Educational Tools: Platforms like computational notebooks for teaching.

What Can You Access? (The Resources)

You are! The NAIRR is for U.S.-based:

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• University Faculty & Researchers

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• Graduate Students (with faculty support)

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• Undergraduate Educators

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• Staff at non-profits, government agencies, and federally-funded startups.

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You must use your university email address (like @csusb.edu) to apply.

Who is Eligible?

You don't need to be an expert to start. NAIRR offers different paths:

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• Start-Up Projects: For testing ideas (3 months).

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• Research Resources: For full-scale projects (12 months).

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• Educational Resources: For classroom use.

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• Open Data & Models: Freely accessible anytime.

How to Use It: Overview of Opportunities

Perfect for getting started or testing a concept.

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• Duration: 3 months of resource access.

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• Goal: Proof-of-concept, learning, or scaling studies.

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• Review Time: Very fast – decision in about 2 weeks.

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• Great for graduate students beginning a new AI project.

Opportunity 1: Start-Up Projects

For your substantial, long-term research projects.

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• Duration: 12 months of resource access.

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• Goal: Advance AI research in your field.

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• What you need: A 3-page project proposal.

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• Review Cycle: Submitted by the 15th of the month, decision by the end of the next month.

Opportunity 2: Research Resources

For faculty teaching AI-related courses.

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• Use NAIRR resources for classroom instruction.

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• Provide students with hands-on experience with real AI platforms.

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• Submit a short (3-page) proposal describing the course and resource needs.

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• Students must be U.S.-based.

Opportunity 3: Educational Resources

• Open Science: Results should be publishable and shared openly.

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• Reporting: Short progress updates and a final report are required.

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• Acknowledgment: You must acknowledge NAIRR support in any publications or presentations.

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• Timeline: Use your allocated resources within the project timeframe.

Expectations for Your Project

Your proposal will be judged on:

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• Alignment with NAIRR's AI focus areas.

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• Readiness: Is your project ready to start?

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• Feasibility: Is your technical approach sound?

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• Need: Why do you need NAIRR's specific resources?

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• Team Expertise: Your (and your team's) ability to execute the project.

How Are Proposals Evaluated?

• Harvard Medical School: Decoding cell behavior with AI.

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• University of Washington: Privacy-preserving synthetic data generation.

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• Purdue University: Developing resilient federated learning for edge networks.

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• Many universities using it for deep learning courses.

Success Stories: Who is Using NAIRR?

• Website: https://nairrpilot.org/
• Your primary source for info and applications.

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• Office Hours: Held twice a month. Perfect for asking questions.

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• Webinars & Training: Regular events on how to use resources.

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• YouTube Channel: Recordings of past workshops and tutorials.

How to Get Help & Learn More

• Explore: Visit https://nairrpilot.org/ and browse the "Current Opportunities.”

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• Decide: Which opportunity fits your project? (Start-Up vs. Research)

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• Discuss: Talk with your faculty advisor or department about your idea.

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• Apply: Use your university email to submit your proposal!

Your Next Steps

• Thank You!

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• Let's build the future of AI.

Questions?