FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — A new supercomputing hub is set to launch in the Central Valley, aiming to bring advanced computing power and artificial intelligence tools to the region’s food and agriculture industry.
F3 Innovate, California State University, Fresno, and the San Diego Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego will officially launch the F3i Supercomputing Center, described as a regional innovation platform designed to expand access to advanced computing, artificial intelligence, data science expertise and technical support for California’s food and agriculture economy.
During Thursday’s launch, officials demonstrated how the system can analyze years of information, including weather records, irrigation schedules, harvest data and even satellite imagery, all in a matter of seconds.
By identifying patterns across multiple growing seasons, the AI can help answer questions growers face every year, such as when to irrigate before a heat wave, which fields are most vulnerable to extreme temperatures, or how past weather events affected crop yields.
Ryan Dinubilo, Director of Innovation at F3 Innovate, demonstrated how the platform can combine information that typically exists in separate systems into one place, allowing artificial intelligence to recognize trends that may otherwise go unnoticed.
The system begins identifying patterns we’ve probably never noticed on our own,
Dinubilo said.
Using historical farm data, officials said the AI can recommend how much to water, when to water and where irrigation should be focused ahead of periods of extreme heat, with the goal of protecting crop yields and improving profitability.
The partnership is expected to serve growers, researchers, startups, businesses, educators and students across the Central Valley.
Thursday’s launch also brought together leaders from agriculture, higher education and government, including Congressmen Jim Costa and Vince Fong, along with Assemblymembers David Tangipa and Esmeralda Soria, who spoke about the growing role of artificial intelligence in California agriculture.
Speakers scheduled for the event:
- Priscilla Koepke, Chief Executive Officer, F3 Innovate
- Ashley Swearengin, President & CEO, Central Valley Community Foundation
- Congressman Jim Costa, U.S. House of Representatives
- Saúl Jiménez Sandoval, President, California State University, Fresno
- Melissa Floca, Chief Innovation Officer, Societal Computing and Innovation Lab, UC San Diego Supercomputer Center
- Linda Nguyen, Lead, Microsoft TechSpark
- Glenda Humiston, Vice President, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Casey Creamer, President & CEO, California Fresh Fruit Association
- Drew Ketelsen, Vice President, HMC Farms
- Ryan Dinubilo, Director of Innovation, F3 Innovate
And if you want a deeper look at how artificial intelligence is already transforming farming here in the Central Valley… You can watch our FOX26 Town Hall Special, “Farming the future: AI in the Central Valley,” {a href=”AND IF YOU WANT A DEEPER LOOK AT HOW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS ALREADY TRANSFORMING FARMING HERE IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY… YOU CAN WATCH OUR FOX26 TOWN HALL SPECIAL, “FARMING THE FUTURE: AI IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY,” STREAMING ON OUR WEBSITE AND YOUTUBE CHANNEL.”}streaming on our website and YouTube channel.{/a}