The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) will create the Open Cloud Institution, a new center dedicated to studies in cloud computing and big data. The university said the initiative would look to develop degree programs on both topics.
The institute will receive support from the 80/20 Foundation, Open Compute Project and the OpenStack Foundation, and in addition has received donations from industry notables that include Rackspace, AMD, Seagate, and Intel. The 80/20 Foundation, which invests in local non-profits in the San Antonio region, has promised $4.8 million toward four endowed professorships, faculty research posts, graduate endowments, and research funding.
In total, the Open Cloud Institute will open its doors backed by $9 million in initial investments.
“By recruiting the nation’s most sought-after scholars, UTSA has developed tremendous expertise in cloud, cyber, computing and analytics. The Open Cloud Institute further builds on that strength,” said UTSA President Ricardo Romo, during a ceremony unveiling the new program of study. “With the support of our industry partners, UTSA students and researchers now have unparalleled opportunities to collaborate on projects that will lead to new innovations in this dynamic field.”
Graham Weston, chairman and co-founder of both Rackspace and the 80/20 Foundation, added: “As adoption of cloud computing accelerates, the next industry that will get to harness this powerful and complex resource is academia. This will allow for increased innovation in scientific research and help to solve some of society’s grand challenges.”