Indian-Origin Couple Donates $20 Million To US University For New AI College

An Indian-origin couple, Anuradha and Vikas Sinha, have donated $20 million to the University of North Texas to establish the College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics. The couple has donated the huge amount to help create new opportunities for students and faculty in fields rapidly reshaping industries, professions and society. The donation will also serve as a university-wide hub for AI and analytics research and education, connecting faculty and students across disciplines with shared infrastructure, collaborative research opportunities and industry partnerships. In recognition of the donation, the Texas-based varsity has decided to name the centre after the couple. So, the centre will be known as the 'Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics'. The university stated in an official statement that the centre will establish an academic hub focused on the development, application and responsible use of artificial intelligence, intelligent systems and data analytics. Through this donation, UNT will create six permanent endowments supporting college leadership, student scholarships, endowed professorships, entrepreneurship and incubation, advanced research and emerging technologies. The investments will advance UNT's strategic priorities around student success, research and innovation while preparing graduates with the skills and experiences needed to lead in a workforce increasingly shaped by AI and data. The couple says they hope this will help prepare the people who will be responsible for shaping the future. They believe that artificial intelligence will be one of the defining technologies of our generation and that universities have an essential role to play in preparing the people who will shape its future. The college will prepare students to build, understand, question, govern and apply AI responsibly - developing both the builders and the stewards of intelligent systems. Anuradha and Vikas Sinha came to the United States from India to continue their education after each earning a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Sri Venkateswara University. They both also earned graduate degrees from Florida Atlantic University, with Vikas going on to Northwestern University before earning his Ph.D. from UNT in 2023. Vikas now serves as vice president of the Mainframe Software Division at Broadcom and has served on the UNT College of Information Leadership Board since 2023.