Ebert: 'Data infrastructure is no longer optional'

ECE professor David Ebert, who was recently appointed as the University of Arizona's first AI and data science officer, sees a future founded on data infrastructure. Ebert co-authored an opinion column in the Arizona Daily Star detailing Project Blue, a proposed data center development in Southern Arizona. 

Data centers providing advanced information processing can support economic growth, expand local revenue and create jobs. But, according to Ebert, the greater value for a public research university like the U of A lies in what this infrastructure can enable.

"This project is especially promising because of its potential to enable innovation that directly benefits the region. Local access to data infrastructure can accelerate research in areas such as health care, extreme heat prediction, water systems, agriculture and sustainable energy – domains where Arizona already leads and where scalable infrastructure can expand impact," Ebert wrote. 

Ebert also acknowledges that this kind of development raises several critical questions, such as long-term water use and energy demand – especially pertinent in a desert state like Arizona. 

"As AI and data science become central to every major sector, our students must have the opportunity to learn with the tools and systems that will define their careers," Ebert said. "Developments like Project Blue can support internships, applied learning and workforce development that keep talent in the state and build capacity across industries."