NSF Invests $100M in AI Research Institutes
The U.S. National Science Foundation, in partnership with Capital One and Intel, today announced a $100 million investment to support five National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes and a central community hub. These institutes will drive breakthroughs in high-impact areas such as mental health, materials discovery, science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, human-AI collaboration and drug development.
This public-private investment aligns with the White House AI Action Plan, a national initiative to sustain and enhance America’s global AI dominance.
“Artificial intelligence is key to strengthening our workforce and boosting U.S. competitiveness,” said Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF director. “Through the National AI Research Institutes, we are turning cutting-edge ideas and research into real-world solutions and preparing Americans to lead in the technologies and jobs of the future.”
While headlines often focus on the newest chatbot, AI is quietly powering advances across nearly every sector, helping doctors detect diseases, enabling smarter manufacturing and supporting resilient agriculture and financial security. The AI Institutes are designed to translate cutting-edge research into scalable, practical solutions that improve lives.
The institutes will also help build a national infrastructure for AI education and workforce development, training the next generation of researchers and practitioners, empowering educators and reaching into communities.
This effort directly supports the goals outlined in Executive Order 14277, “Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth,” which calls for expanding AI literacy and expanding access to training and tools across all communities.
With this latest round of awards, NSF continues to grow a nationwide network of AI research institutes dedicated to advancing open innovation, strengthening U.S. competitiveness and ensuring that AI serves the public good – today and for decades to come.
Each institute brings a unique interdisciplinary approach that connects AI research to tangible public benefit:
To learn more about all the awards and collaborators of the National AI Research Institutes, click on the interactive map.
Learn more about the AI Institutes by visiting nsf.gov.
https://www.nsf.gov/news/nsf-announces-100-million-investment-national-artificial