Ross DeVol
Chairman Emeritus and Distinguished Fellow

This analysis is part of Pulse of the Heartland’s ongoing examination of the AI Cluster Race across America’s heartland metros. Using a consistent framework of evaluating talent, innovation, adoption and infrastructure, this piece examines College Station, Texas, a smaller metro whose AI strength is driven overwhelmingly by the scale, depth and specialization of its flagship research institution. In contrast to larger enterprise-led ecosystems, College Station illustrates how research intensity, advanced computing and domain-specific expertise can anchor AI competitiveness even in a relatively small labor market.

The AI ecosystem in the College Station metro area is defined by a rich research environment, outstanding computational horsepower capabilities, domain strength in health care, energy, manufacturing, transportation and a robust talent development pipeline. Texas A&M University (TAMU) serves as the AI anchor institution through its Institute of Data Science (TAMIDS), home to the Scientific Machine Learning Lab, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and the RAISE Initiative (Research in AI for Science and Engineering). When combined with the $45 million NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD installation now underway, these assets provide a world-class platform for AI research and applications.

The Bush Combat Development Complex further strengthens this ecosystem by providing a real-world proving ground for AI-enabled sensors, robotics and military situational awareness applications. Formal AI degree programs, professional certificates and flexible, applied AI training programs are offered by TAMU, Blinn College and Certstaffix Training, creating multiple on-ramps into the AI workforce in College Station at differing levels of skill.

While College Station does not yet host a large concentration of Fortune 500 enterprises deploying AI at scale, local adoption is nonetheless meaningful and growing. Texas A&M Health has piloted, and is now broadly deploying, an AI assistant (Cassie)—an avatar-based digital receptionist for health care clinics that checks in patients, requests records and speaks over 100 languages. Humanate Digital Inc., founded by a team of Aggies, developed this tech-enabled workforce solution. Researchers from TAMU’s Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center, in partnership with EnerSys, developed an AI-powered training platform simulating pipeline emergencies and other industrial safety scenarios.

Custom Information Services provides AI consulting and managed services, while EvolveNova boosts organizational efficiency through AI-powered automation tools. Startups operating in AI-core or AI-adjacent domains are obtaining support from Texas A&M Innovation (technology licensing) and ecosystem enablers such as Plug and Play Innovation Triangle and Startup Grind BCS, helping translate research into commercialization. Taken together, this collection of AI talent, innovation and adoption assets positions College Station ninth among heartland metros in the AI Cluster Race.[i]

Talent

Talent dynamics in College Station are inseparable from the scale and influence of Texas A&M University. The metro area has the smallest population of any of the metros ranked in the top ten among heartland AI hubs, underscoring the critical role that Texas A&M plays in the metro area of fewer than 300,000 residents. Employment in high-tech industries as a share of total private sector employment is below the national average, but scientific research and development’s share is 50% higher than the U.S. average, reflecting College Station’s research strength.

Student enrollment at TAMU has expanded by more than 30% over the past decade, with STEM fields witnessing some of the largest gains. Slightly fewer than 15,000 residents hold a bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering and mathematics (CSEM). What distinguishes College Station is not the size of its undergraduate talent pool, but the density of advanced researchers. Nearly 2,100 individuals are enrolled in a PhD or post-doctorate program in a CSEM field, representing one of the largest proportional concentrations in the nation and exceeding the absolute level found in the San Jose metro area, the home of Silicon Valley.

TAMU offers a broad suite of AI training options. The Department of Computer Science and Engineering offers a highly regarded Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (MS-AI), a STEM-designated degree that prepares graduates for roles such as AI engineer, data scientist, research scientist and applied analytics professional. [ii] For those not wishing to obtain a full master’s degree, a Graduate Certificate in AI & Machine Learning is available and provides targeted AI upskilling for professionals with a technical background.

Beyond formal degrees, College Station emphasizes continuous learning and workforce upskilling. TAMIDS offers short courses, workshops, primers and professional education modules in AI, including the Data Science Foundations and Computational Practice course, which is offered through a week-long intensive workshop providing generative AI training and other AI applications. Certstaffix Training offers AI bootcamps and certification pathways, including Microsoft’s Azure AI Fundamentals. Taken together, these AI training programs provide a deep talent pipeline from applied certificates and bootcamps to advanced degrees in the AI field and boost adoption throughout the region.

Innovation

Innovation in College Station is highly centralized, with Texas A&M functioning as the ecosystem’s central node. A notable example is the RAISE Initiative, which is an effort to build a coordinated network within Texas A&M at the intersection of foundational AI research, AI for science and AI for engineering. The aim is to achieve advances in AI, a deeper understanding of science, enhanced design of engineering systems, better educational experiences for students and ensure that AI benefits all humanity.

TAMIDS serves as the hub for cross-campus AI and machine learning research, providing seed funding, hosting visiting researchers and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. Through this model, TAMU seeks to shift research paradigms from primarily deductive approaches toward more inductive, data-driven discovery. The Scientific Machine Learning Lab complements this work by focusing on physics-aware machine learning methods tailored to science and engineering applications.

At TEES, researchers were lead authors of a recently published influential paper in “Foundations and Trends in Machine Learning” outlining the uses and benefits of AI for scientific discovery. This collaborative paper, spanning more than 500 pages and featuring more than 60 authors from 15 universities, discusses the role AI is playing, and likely will play, in solving complex equations and advancing science. The Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center at TEES also applies this research in practice by collaborating with EnerSys Corporation to create a multiplayer “game” using AI to provide real-world scenarios of how pipeline operations respond to abnormal and emergency situations in a safe, controlled environment.[iii]

Applied innovation expands well beyond the laboratory, however, as exemplified by the Bush Combat Development Complex (RELLIS) Innovation Proving Grounds, which tests AI-enabled sensors, platforms and networks under operational conditions. The Automated Precision Phenotyping Greenhouse and Plant Growth & Phenotyping Facility use robotics, remote sensing and AI for crop analysis.[iv] Led by TAMU, the College Station metro area recorded 45 AI research papers published at top AI conferences, just 4 publications fewer than Dallas. This portfolio of innovative assets leaves the College Station metro area less exposed to potential stagnation in any one AI domain.

Adoption

As a smaller metro, College Station doesn’t enjoy the benefit of large corporate enterprises that tend to lead in AI adoption. Texas A&M Health is helping to fill that gap through its adoption of “Cassie,” the AI-powered virtual medical receptionist developed by researchers at Texas A&M and commercialized by Humanate Digital. This is a classic example of how university research can lead to commercial viability and adoption. Cassie incorporates facial recognition to convey human-like emotions, allowing interactions to feel more relaxed, personal and soothing.[v] Cassie helps address the challenge of labor shortages in the health care industry, especially in rural areas. This partnership with NVIDIA highlights how university-driven innovation can scale through strategic industry collaboration, particularly when there is a legitimate need.

In another high-impact deployment, Texas A&M partnered with the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to convert traditional UH-60 Blackhawks into AI-powered helicopters capable of autonomous wildfire response. These aircraft can conduct water drops, supply deliveries and aerial reconnaissance when it is too risky for human crews.[vi] Following successful testing, the system is moving toward pilot deployment, underscoring the real-world applicability of AI that is developed in the region.

Additionally, a critical accelerator of future adoption is computing capacity. Texas A&M’s acquisition of the NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD with DGX H200 systems will make the university one of the world’s premier AI computing destinations. This investment positions College Station to attract firms and researchers seeking access to advanced AI infrastructure, even if they are not permanently located in the metro area.

Beyond Humanate Digital, additional AI core or AI adjacent firms are making an impact. For example, EvolveNova delivers intelligent automation solutions by helping businesses streamline operations, reduce manual work and increase efficiency through AI-powered automation tools and workflows customized for clients’ specific needs. Custom Information Services provides a number of AI-powered solutions, from process automation, predictive analytics, cybersecurity solutions, and natural language processing to customized consulting services.[vii]

Plug and Play’s local node helps connect startups to funding, while Texas A&M New Ventures Competition provides a cash award and assists in attracting funding. Humanate Digital was a competition winner. The Aggie Angel Network is an early-stage investor group focused on Texas A&M-affiliated startups. As AI research activity continues to proliferate, the region is well-positioned to generate additional spinouts and applied AI firms.

College Station’s role in the Heartland AI Cluster Race is defined by intensity rather than scale. Anchored by Texas A&M University, the metro has built an AI ecosystem rooted in advanced research, domain-specific applications and exceptional computing capacity. While its smaller population and enterprise base constrain large-scale commercial adoption, these limitations are offset by deep doctoral talent, nationally significant innovation output and growing access to world-class AI infrastructure. In this way, College Station offers a distinct and complementary model within the heartland, demonstrating how research-driven metros can compete in the AI economy by serving as engines of discovery, testing and translational impact.

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[i] Muro, M., and Methkupally, S. (2025). Mapping the AI Economy: Which Regions are Ready for the Next Technological Leap? Brookings Metro. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/mapping-the-ai-economy-which-regions-are-ready-for-the-next-technology-leap/

[ii] https://engineering.tamu.edu/cse/academics/degrees/graduate/ms-ai.html

[iii] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/ai-powered-game-to-enhance-pipeline-safety-training-launched-by-texas-a-m-and-enersys/ar-AA1DF1W5?apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1

[iv] https://gpnmag.com/news/automated-precision-phenotyping-greenhouse-opens-at-texas-am/

[v] https://stories.tamu.edu/news/2025/06/19/ai-medical-receptionist-modernizing-doctor-appointments-poised-to-improve-patient-care-nationwide/

[vi] https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/ai-helicopters-texas-20797729.php

[vii] https://customis.com/texas/collegestation/managed-ai-service