Hewlett Packard Enterprise creates new computing centre at Texas A&M

The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), part of The Texas A&M University System has announced the creation of the new Hewlett Packard Enterprise Centre for Computer Architecture Research with a cutting edge cleanroom, made possible with a US$11 million donation from the computer giant’s enterprise branch.

Through the centre, engineering students have access to advanced research equipment for computer architecture with the aim of leading the way into a “new world of data-driven computing architectures through academic-industry collaboration.”

“Texas A&M University has great traditions coupled with visionary leadership,” said Stan Williams, TEES Hewlett Packard Enterprise Center for Computer Architecture Research Director and Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company Chair Professor.

“The students who come here are inspired by generations of successful Aggie (Texas A&M) alumni and expect to work hard. This is the ideal environment to do something completely new in computing, untethered from legacy notions, and I am excited by the opportunities that I see.”

Stan Williams has been appointed to lead the new centre, as well as serve as the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chair Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise donated the almost US$11 million-worth of research equipment to the centre, which occupies 25,000 sq feet of space in the Giesecke Engineering Research Building (GERB). TEES also has contributed approximately US$2 million for renovations to GERB to support the new equipment and will hire three faculty in this area.

“This is an extremely significant gift of equipment and the hiring of Stan Williams places us at the forefront of next-generation discovery in computation, nonlinear dynamical electronics and materials,” said Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp.

“There is no other cleanroom in the state of Texas that has all five of the high-end instruments HPE is donating, and we plan to become a regional hub for next-generation nano- and micro-engineering.”

TEES and Hewlett Packard are preparing for the future with their investment. With the rise of big data and the power that can yield, potentially transforming the way we live and work, qualified and innovative computer architects who think outside conventional norms are going to be needed.

“Looking ahead, the ability to make sense of the massive amounts of data generated in academic, public and private sector settings will change not only how we do business, but also how we live,” said Mark Potter, CTO, HPE, Director, Hewlett Packard Labs.

“Our success at evaluating the world around us and making breakthroughs we never thought possible hinges on our ability to apply technology.”