The NAIRR will accept applications and proposals, which will be evaluated and assigned resources in a grant-making process. The resources to be made available haven't been listed yet. The pilot program will focus on four areas: NAIRR Open (access to diverse AI resources), NAIRR Secure (AI applications needing privacy and security), NAIRR Software (tools, platforms, services, and interoperability), and NAIRR Classroom (outreach, education, and training). The project leaders anticipate that only 25-50 proposals will be accepted in this initial pilot period, with hundreds more spots opening up in the spring when more systems come online.
Key takeaways:
- The National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) is coming online in pilot form, with a coalition of U.S. agencies and private partners applying billions in federal funding towards public-access tools for AI scientists and engineers.
- The NAIRR is the Biden administration's response to the rise of AI in the global tech scene and the concentration of AI resources among a small group of tech giants and startups.
- The initiative has an $800 million per-year budget for the next three years and will provide resources such as datasets, consultation, and access to computing power to any qualified researcher.
- For the two-year pilot period, the NAIRR will focus on four areas: general access to AI resources, AI applications that need privacy and security, tools and platforms, and outreach, education, and training.