Baltimore – September 15, 2026 -- Morgan State University has secured high-performance GPU compute resources through a new collaboration with Google Public Sector, aiming to reach Carnegie R1 research classification and establish a national blueprint for HBCU digital transformation.
Google's Program for Accelerated Research grants Morgan State advanced GPU infrastructure
The partnership, formed through Google Public Sector's Program for Accelerated Research (GPAR), gives Morgan State faculty and students access to high-performance computing for work in AI, cybersecurity, climate science and health sciences. The university is targeting Carnegie R1 status, the top classification for "very high research activity," which would unlock additional federal funding and attract research talent.
Morgan's Obsidian AI platform anchors sovereign AI strategy across campus operations
Morgan State's in-house Obsidian AI platform will integrate student services, administration and campus operations while the university retains control over governance, security and accountability. Timothy C. Summers, vice president for the Division of Information Technology and CIO at Morgan State, said the collaboration is about building institutional infrastructure and governance capacity rather than simple technology adoption, positioning HBCUs to lead rather than catch up in AI development.
NVIDIA-powered infrastructure targets large language models and Baltimore traffic optimization
Researchers will gain access to Google Cloud platforms and NVIDIA infrastructure comparable to systems used to train frontier and open-weight AI models. Matthew Schneider, managing director for U.S. Education, State and Local Government at Google Public Sector, said the computing power will drive breakthroughs in climate science and support AI-enabled traffic and urban mobility optimization projects in Baltimore.
New Center of Excellence will deliver Google credentials and startup commercialization support
Morgan State will establish a Google-focused Center of Excellence covering cloud computing, AI adoption, workforce development and technical training. Students will have access to industry-recognized credentials through Google's professional training ecosystem, while faculty can pursue commercialization through programs such as Google for Startups.
Google SecOps and Mandiant tools strengthen compliance for federally funded research
The collaboration adds Google Cloud security technologies, including Google SecOps and Mandiant solutions, to Morgan State's cybersecurity infrastructure, supporting compliance requirements tied to federally funded research programs. Morgan State President David K. Wilson said the university is building infrastructure, partnerships and intellectual capacity to compete at the highest levels of research while creating a model other institutions can replicate.