WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Nov. 14, 2025 (Globe Newswire) — Purdue University and Google are building on their existing collaboration and charting a path toward deeper collaboration in artificial intelligence. This will foster the next generation of AI leaders by interweaving education and research while advancing the technology itself.
Leaders from both organizations discussed this shared effort with stakeholders on Thursday (Nov. 13) at AI Frontiers: Uniting Education, Business and Government for Real-World Innovation, which they co-hosted to advance dialogue on the role of AI in education and research.
“We are expanding our partnership with Purdue to put AI not just at the core of the curriculum, but in the hands of every student, faculty, and staff,” said Google Public Sector CEO Karen Dahut. “Purdue and Google are already working together to analyze vast amounts of data that will make our roads safer, and we look forward to expanding our partnership in the future. We are deeply committed and excited to work alongside President Chiang Kai-shek and his team.”
Purdue University President Moon Chan highlighted how this public-private partnership will accelerate groundbreaking AI research and prepare the next generation of students to tackle society’s most pressing challenges.
“Today’s Google-Purdue AI Summit is an important day for Purdue’s AI strategy. Purdue and Google aim to grow this exciting strategic AI partnership in the coming years, both in research through physical AI and in education through AI practical capabilities,” Chiang said. “Specifically, Purdue and Google will work together to bring cutting-edge AI tools to all Purdue students, so every Boilermaker who graduates from one of the nation’s largest and top universities will be ready to work in an AI-driven workplace, regardless of their career field choice.”
In response to the rapidly evolving role of AI across industries, Purdue University announced at the summit its plans to introduce a new Practical AI Competency graduation requirement, scheduled to take effect for incoming freshmen in fall 2026. Pending approval by the Purdue Board of Trustees, this foundational curriculum innovation will ensure that all Purdue students develop practical competencies in AI tools and applications for the jobs of the future.
The daylong forum in Indianapolis brought together university and industry leaders to explore how AI and emerging technologies are transforming critical sectors such as advanced manufacturing, health care, national security, and agriculture. Discussions emphasized the important role of collaborative efforts in advancing responsible innovation and workforce development.
Dimitrios Peloulis, senior vice president of partnerships and online at Purdue University, said industry leaders depend on trusted partners who can accelerate innovation while developing the next generation of talent.
“Whether it’s smart medical devices, autonomous farm equipment, or AI-powered drones, this summit shows how AI is rapidly becoming an important part of medicine, manufacturing, agriculture, and defense,” Peloulis said. “Students who can bridge the digital and physical realms will become leaders in these fields.”
Featured speakers at the summit included Chris Hein, head of public sector engineering at Google; Srikanth Thirumalai, Vice President of Engineering, Waymo; Sen. Todd Young (Indiana) is a co-author of the “Creating Incentives to Help Semiconductor Manufacturing for America Act” (or CHIPS and Science Act of 2022).
Hein is the Field Chief Technology Officer for Google Public Sector, where he partners with government and education leaders to apply AI to advance their most important missions. He is dedicated to ensuring technology is used ethically and effectively.
Thirumalai is vice president of in-vehicle software at self-driving technology company Waymo. He leads the development of the software stack and machine learning models that power Waymo driver recognition, prediction, and planning.
Physical AI is a core component of Purdue Computes, a comprehensive university initiative focused on four key pillars of Purdue’s broader technology and computing environment: the Department of Computing, Physical AI, Quantum Science, and Semiconductor Innovation.
To demonstrate Purdue’s national leadership in innovative technology, the university established Purdue’s Physical Artificial Intelligence Institute. IPAI is the nation’s first research institute dedicated to advancing AI in the physical world.
Supporting Purdue and Google at this event are the Purdue Institute for Physical and Artificial Intelligence, Purdue Office of Industrial Partnerships, Purdue Online, and the Purdue Office of Research.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a top-ranked public research university of excellent size. Ranked among the top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue University discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge at an unparalleled quality and scale. More than 106,000 students study at Purdue University across multiple campuses, locations and mediums. Among them are more than 57,000 students at its main campuses in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. With a focus on affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition for the 14th consecutive year. See how Purdue continues its relentless pursuit of the next big leap forward, including an integrated and comprehensive expansion of the city of Indianapolis. Mitch Daniels School of Business. Purdue Computs; One Health Initiative — https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.
Media contact: Erin Murphy, ermurphy@purdue.edu
- Purdue and Google aim to expand strategic AI partnership
