Data Analytics

HPE Partners with Texas A&M to Create New Computer Engineering Center

With support from the technology giant, Texas A&M students and faculty will be able to explore the future uses of data analytics.

Eli Zimmerman

Eli is Associate Editor for EdTech Magazine Higher Education. When not in the office, Eli is busy scanning the web for the latest podcasts or stepping into the boxing ring for a few rounds.

Hewlett Packard Enterprises has donated $10.5 million in research equipment for a state-of-the-art computer engineering school at Texas A&M University, according to a recent announcement from the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station. The building will be a hub for students and university researchers to experiment with new ways to collect, analyze and distribute Big Data, as well as conduct new experiments with nanoengineering and other groundbreaking technology research.

“Researchers can now develop next-generation computer chips for more powerful but energy-efficient computing, integrated photonic devices and microsensors for biosensing/medical applications or better autonomous vehicles, or flexible electronic devices and micro/nanofluidic systems for continuous health monitoring or point of care diagnosis in remote settings,” said Dr. Arum Han, director of the AggieFab Nanofabrication Facility at Texas A&M.

Partnerships between universities and technology companies have become a useful endeavor for both parties, as companies look to prepare graduating students for the positions companies will need them to fill. HPE executives expect students who take advantage of the new research building will come away with the valuable experience needed to not only be good employees but also effective change-makers in a future driven by data.

“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, the Houston-based chief technology officer of HPE and director of 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.”

University officials are enthusiastic to see what students will accomplish with the technology donated by HPE, and what future projects have in store for the institution’s legacy.

“The students who come here are inspired by generations of successful Aggie alumni and expect to work hard,” said Stan Williams, TEES Hewlett Packard Enterprise Center for Computer Architecture research director. “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.”