Anand Patwardhan and Lucy Qiu are co-principal investigators on an interdisciplinary initiative addressing the future of AI infrastructure
The University of Maryland created the Grand Challenges Grants Program as part of its Fearlessly Forward strategic plan to support bold, interdisciplinary research and collaboration addressing society's most pressing challenges.
Through Grand Challenges Grants 2.0, the university is investing nearly $15 million over three years in 11 projects involving faculty from more than 40 disciplines across campus. The inaugural Grand Challenges program funded 50 projects and demonstrated the power of interdisciplinary collaboration, generating more than $55 million in external funding, creating research and experiential learning opportunities for more than 6,500 students and engaging more than 450 partners.
“The most pressing challenges facing society can rarely be solved through a single disciplinary lens,” said Dean Gustavo Flores-Macías. “We are proud to see our faculty collaborating with colleagues across the university on research that advances the public good.”
School of Public Policy faculty are contributing to one of the newly funded projects. Learn more about the Impact Award involving School of Public Policy faculty:
Grant Type: Impact Award
Topic: Sustainable and Ethical AI Infrastructure
Colleges Represented: ENGR, SPP, BMGT, AGNR
SPP Faculty Involved: Anand Patwardhan, Lucy Qiu
This project integrates engineering, economics and policy analysis to help Maryland and the nation balance the surging power and water demands of AI data centers with sustainability, affordability and national security goals, while identifying near- and long-term technological solutions for sustainable infrastructure.
Learn more about all the inspiring projects that were awarded funding through the Grand Challenges 2.0 program by visiting research.umd.edu/gc.
