A new AI makerspace, created in partnership with Omaha’s Scott Data, will give University of Nebraska–Lincoln engineering students unrivaled opportunities to explore, build, test and model new techniques using artificial intelligence. The makerspace is the latest addition to the College of Engineering's Design Hub, which allows students to design, build and test engineering projects.
Available to students as they return to campus for the fall 2025 semester, the makerspace will offer access to eight NVIDIA H100 graphics processing units. It is part of an all-encompassing AI initiative underway at Nebraska Engineering.
Supported by generous private funding, the multifaceted effort will facilitate and expand the amount of research using AI in the College of Engineering and across the university campus; increase student involvement in AI; and build partnerships with external entities and AI leaders, as well as those interested in how AI might benefit their organizations.
The makerspace will be one of only a handful of such facilities affiliated with higher education institutions across the country — and it will be unique in the Midwest region, according to Lance C. Pérez, Fred Hunzeker Dean of Engineering.
“The College of Engineering has a long history in research and education in artificial intelligence,” Pérez said, “and the AI makerspace is the next step in that effort.”
Scott Data CEO Ken Moreano said his company is one of about 20 Tier III certified colocation or multi-tenant data centers in the United States, serving a global customer base spanning health care, financial services, big data analytics and the media. It is the only Tier III data center that provides the AI Cluster GPU-as-a-Service.
The NVIDIA H100 GPUs that will be available to College of Engineering users are considered the gold standard for multiple types of AI workloads.
“The intent with our partnership with the College of Engineering is to have a dedicated server of eight GPUs at Scott Data that will provide a powerful level of computing access and expertise,” Moreano said. “As far as we know, this is not something typically available in higher education and will accelerate students’ abilities to problem solve, conduct research and increase creativity.”
Pérez said the college initiative will include the addition of a chief data scientist with a deep background in engineering and AI and experience with start-up companies.
The College of Engineering has led the way in the state’s higher education landscape since the mid-1980s, when the first computing course in artificial intelligence was offered, Pérez said. In the past five years, more than 30 sections of AI courses have been delivered.
Pérez said this virtual educational AI makerspace — a first for Nebraska — will provide access to specialized hardware, software and other resources that are typically reserved for research or industry.
“Not only will our students be able to deepen their understanding of AI, but they can more readily collaborate with others and also learn about the ethical uses of AI,” Pérez said.
The AI makerspace offers the university’s engineering students a powerful tool to advance research in AI and related fields and to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects, Moreano said, and will “drive innovation that can have real-world impact, with potential for significant community and educational impact.”
Pérez said the project will ultimately benefit industry partners seeking professionals in engineering, computing and construction who understand AI and can help incorporate it into companies’ core business functions.
“Ultimately, our primary goal is to expand our educational programs and research to ensure the next generation of the Nebraska workforce in engineering, computing and construction is AI ready,” Pérez said. “We are grateful for the partnership and expertise of Scott Data and Ken Moreano and his team. It is these types of collaborations that provide our students with an affordable world-class education.”
