North Dakota State University just scored a game-changing win.
The National Science Foundation(NSF) has awarded nearly $4 million to NDSU to deploy a new AI-ready supercomputer, dubbed “Bison.” Expected to go live in 2026, the machine promises to transform research across agriculture, healthcare, energy, and beyond.
Key Takeaways
- NDSU wins $3.85M NSF grant for ‘Bison’ AI supercomputer.
- Bison to power research in agriculture, health, energy, environment.
- GPU-driven system launches at NDSU’s CCAST datacenter by 2026.
- Resource to be shared across North Dakota universities and tribal colleges.
North Dakota State University received a $3.85 million NSF grant to deploy “Bison,” a GPU-powered supercomputer for AI research. Scheduled to launch in 2026, it will boost NDSU’s research capacity across science, engineering, agriculture, and healthcare, while extending access to universities and tribal colleges across North Dakota.
NDSU secures federal support for next-gen research
North Dakota State University (NDSU) has been awarded $3.85 million from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation program to acquire and deploy a new high-performance supercomputer built for artificial intelligence research.
The system, named Bison, will sit at the heart of NDSU’s computing infrastructure, expanding research capacity not just for the university but for the entire North Dakota University System and partner tribal colleges. Initial deployment is slated for summer 2026.
Why Bison
The Bison supercomputer is designed specifically for GPU-intensive AI tasks—from large-scale training to fine-tuning and inference. With a data storage system optimized for AI workflows, it represents a significant leap from NDSU’s existing computing resources.
“This investment positions NDSU at the leading edge of AI and high-performance computing,” said NDSU President David Cook. “Bison will enable our faculty, staff, and students to explore new frontiers of discovery while expanding partnerships across North Dakota and beyond.”
Expanding AI capacity across disciplines
NDSU already hosts over 60 active research groups working in AI across fields as diverse as engineering, bioinformatics, biomechanics, physics, chemistry, and education. Bison will accelerate these projects while opening the door to new collaborations.
According to Khang Hoang, the grant’s principal investigator, GPUs are not just essential for AI but transformative across many branches of science. “High-end GPUs allow researchers to tackle problems that are impossible with CPU only,” Hoang said.
Beyond campus: statewide and national reach
Importantly, Bison will not remain confined to NDSU’s campus. Researchers from other North Dakota University System institutions and tribal colleges will also gain access. The initiative is designed to extend the benefits of advanced computing to underserved academic communities, strengthening collaboration statewide.
This expansion aligns with a growing national emphasis on democratizing AI resources so that innovation isn’t concentrated only in large coastal universities or private tech labs.
Broader implications for research and society
The applications of Bison extend well beyond academia. High-performance computing capacity has direct implications for:
- Agriculture and food security: Developing smarter crop models and resilient farming strategies.
- Healthcare and bioinformatics: Accelerating genetic analysis, disease modeling, and drug discovery.
- Energy and environment: Optimizing renewable energy systems and climate resilience studies.
- Quantum information science: Supporting emerging fields at the frontier of physics.
What happens next
Bison will be housed in NDSU’s Center for Computationally Assisted Science and Technology (CCAST), one of North Dakota’s leading academic computing hubs. Installation and testing will continue through 2025, with full operational rollout expected by mid-2026.
As demand for high-performance computing grows, Bison is likely to become a regional anchor, attracting partnerships and possibly additional federal investment.
Conclusion
The NSF-backed Bison supercomputer positions NDSU as a central hub for cutting-edge AI research in the Midwest. By extending access across campuses and tribal colleges, it not only raises the university’s profile but also reshapes the research landscape in North Dakota—placing AI innovation squarely in the heart of the Great Plains.