MIT Stephen A Schwarzman College of Computing

MIT announced a new $1 billion commitment to address the global opportunities and challenges presented by the prevalence of computing and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). The initiative marks the single largest investment in computing and AI by an American academic institution, and will help position the United States to lead the world in preparing for the rapid evolution of computing and AI.

This new College is MIT's strategic response to a global phenomenon -- the ubiquity of computing and the rise of AI. In this new world, we are building on MIT’s established leadership in these fields to position the Institute for decades to come as a world hub of education, research and innovation, and to prepare our students to lead in every domain.

At the heart of this endeavor will be the new MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing, made possible by a $350 million foundational gift from Mr. Schwarzman, the chairman, CEO and co-founder of Blackstone, a leading global asset manager.

Headquartered in a signature new building on MIT’s campus, the new MIT Schwarzman College of Computing will be an interdisciplinary hub for work in computer science, AI, data science, and related fields. The College will:

(*) reorient MIT to bring the power of computing and AI to all fields of study at MIT, allowing the future of computing and AI to be shaped by insights from all other disciplines;
(*) create 50 new faculty positions that will be located both within the College and jointly with other departments across MIT — nearly doubling MIT’s academic capability in computing and AI;
(*) give MIT’s five schools a shared structure for collaborative education, research, and innovation in computing and AI;
(*) educate students in every discipline to responsibly use and develop AI and computing technologies to help make a better world; and
(*) transform education and research in public policy and ethical considerations relevant to computing and AI.

With the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing’s founding, MIT seeks to strengthen its position as a key international player in the responsible and ethical evolution of technologies that are poised to fundamentally transform society. Amid a rapidly evolving geopolitical environment that is constantly being reshaped by technology, the College will have significant impact on our nation’s competitiveness and security.

Five working groups have been created to develop ideas and options for the Institute administration regarding important aspects of launching the College. These are:

(1) Organizational Structure
Asu Ozdaglar, Department Head, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and School of Engineering Distinguished Professor of Engineering (co-chair)
Nelson Repenning, Associate Dean of Leadership and Special Projects, and School of Management Distinguished Professor of System Dynamics and Organization Studies (co-chair)
(2) Faculty Appointments
Eran Ben-Joseph, Department Head, Urban Studies and Planning (co-chair)
William Freeman, Thomas and Gerd Perkins Professor of Electrical Engineering (co-chair)
(3) Curriculum and Degrees
Srini Devadas, Edwin Sibley Webster Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (co-chair)
Troy Van Voorhis, Haslam and Dewey Professor of Chemistry (co-chair)
(4) Social Implications and Responsibilities of Computing
Melissa Nobles, Kenan Sahin Dean of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (co-chair)
Julie Shah, Associate Professor, Aeronautics and Astronautics (co-chair)
(5) College Infrastructure
Benoit Forget, Associate Professor, Nuclear Science and Engineering (co-chair)
(6) Nicholas Roy, Professor, Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Member, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (co-chair)
The full memberships of these groups, which include faculty, staff, and students from a wide range of MIT departments, can be found here.