UCSD - University of California - San Diego

06/11/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/11/2026 07:08

New Data Center, Student Collaboration Space Put People at the Heart of Computer Science

Published Date

June 11, 2026

Article Content

The Computer Science and Engineering Department at the University of California San Diego unveiled a new on-site data center that will accelerate computing and artificial intelligence research advances, while giving graduate students and other computer science researchers valuable, hands-on access to cutting-edge computing infrastructure.

The state-of-the-art 2,900 square foot data center replaces an aging server room in UC San Diego's Computer Science and Engineering building. The new data center serves as both a high-performance research platform and a hands-on computing laboratory offering students the opportunity to learn about the real-world systems powering modern computing by actually operating them.

The old server room took up precious first-floor real estate right near the entrance of the computer science building. A conscious decision was made to move the new data center to the basement, and open a student collaboration space where the previous server room once was, centering the role of human interaction in the future of computer science.

"This renovation fits perfectly into our vision of where our department and discipline is going," said Steve Swanson, professor of computer science and engineering and department chair. "We took the machine room - which used to be in the literal heart of our building - moved it into the basement, and upgraded it so it can handle the latest and greatest hardware, do the latest and greatest computer science research, and be an instructional space for students. In its place we built a very human space, for people to get together and work on problems, for students to collaborate as they learn the fundamentals of computer science and plan out the systems that they're going to build to make the world a better place."

Designed to meet the growing computing needs of computer science faculty who are collaborating across the Jacobs School of Engineering, the new Computer Science and Engineering Data Center delivers the power, cooling, and connectivity required for today's most demanding computational workloads, and the flexibility to grow as demands increase. The facility has 1.3 megawatts of total power capacity, with both low power and high power density server racks. With 100 gigabit per second network uplinks and a clear path to 400 Gbps, the facility is engineered for scale, flexibility and long-term growth.

The new data center was also designed with efficiency in mind. In place of the four massive air conditioning units that cooled the entire previous machine room, the updated facility features dynamic, intelligent, in-rack cooling tied into the campus chilled water system, enabling significantly more efficient liquid cooling.

Students, staff and faculty check out the new computer science student collaboration space, which features a bright and engaging art installation called The Glitch. Photo by Hana Tobias / Qualcomm Institute
The data center features dynamic, intelligent, in-rack cooling tied into the campus chilled water system, enabling significantly more efficient liquid cooling. Photo by David Baillot / Jacobs School of Engineering

An Asset For Computer Science Collaborations

Importantly, the computing facility will drive computer science projects with collaborations that extend across the UC San Diego campus.

"With this state-of-the-art infrastructure and thoughtfully designed collaboration spaces, there are going to be exciting new possibilities for breakthrough research, dynamic teaching, and all sorts of innovation that will set the pace for the future," said Executive Vice Chancellor Elizabeth H. Simmons. "This renovated facility reflects our recognition that excellence in computer science and engineering is central to excellence across the campus."

This new facility is part of a larger push across the computer science department, the Jacobs School of Engineering, and UC San Diego overall to lead in both AI education and AI research. UC San Diego launched a new undergraduate AI major in 2025; started an AI for All course in 2026 to expand AI literacy to students across campus; and is revamping the computer science curriculum to ensure students have the skills they need to graduate prepared to lead in the human-centered computing jobs of the future. At the same time, computer science researchers are leading a larger effort to create and deploy customized AI Tutors that don't give out the answers and keep the instructor's teaching style front and center.

"This strategic investment created valuable new spaces for the Computer Science and Engineering department to connect and build community. That's why it's a physical instantiation - you can walk into the data center and see it and touch it," said Albert P. Pisano, Dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering and Special Advisor to the Chancellor. "This investment is really centered around people. If we're not positively affecting and improving lives, if we're not improving the human condition with our technology, then we're misusing it. That's an important charter, and this facility will help us do that."

UCSD - University of California - San Diego published this content on June 11, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on June 11, 2026 at 13:08 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]