June 2, 2026
A collaboration between the University of Pittsburgh, Dell Technologies, and NVIDIA is bringing innovative tech to campus, connecting Pitt’s research with industry leaders. As part of Dell's Partner Advisory Board, Pitt was invited to try new AI hardware and explore various research endeavors.
Leading the way is Pengfei Zhou, an assistant professor at Pitt’s School of Computing and Information (SCI). Zhou's project aims to revolutionize cardiovascular monitoring by bridging the gap between high-fidelity diagnostics and patient convenience. Using the new hardware will make this research mobile, compact, and deployable in clinical environments in real-world settings much easier than larger, more expensive medical devices. Leveraging the infrastructure provided by Pitt's Center for Research Computing and Data (CRCD), Zhou's team can train their AI models and use the equipment provided by Dell and NVIDIA as an edge accelerator to process heart data captured by wearable tech (like smartwatches and heart rate monitors).
Recognizing both the importance of this research and its fit with their new generation of AI-capable hardware, Dell selected Zhou's work to be featured at the Dell Technologies World conference held from May 18 – 21, 2026 in Las Vegas, NV.
“Pitt's collaboration with Dell and NVIDIA is one of many ways the landscape of research is transforming,” said SCI Dean Bruce R. Childers. "By bringing industry-leading tools and campus-wide resources together, we empower SCI researchers like Dr. Zhou to innovate more rapidly, tackle larger problems, and translate discoveries into real-world impact. This collaboration doesn't just advance individual projects; it strengthens our entire ecosystem so that, from the classroom to the lab, we can build a better future together.”
The hardware behind this work – the Dell Pro Max with the NVIDIA GB1 Grace Blackwell Superchip – represents a new generation of small yet powerful machines that can be deployed in scenarios where traditional computers would be too bulky. The AI accelerator brings new ways to speed up research while offering a compact design with powerful performance.
Accessing the advanced hardware and software through the CRCD provides an invaluable resource for Pitt researchers. Their cross-campus collaboration, and additional collaborations with Pitt Digital, SCI, and cutting-edge tech from Dell and NVIDIA, expands the possibilities of how the computing and information sciences can transform a better digital future, both on campus and beyond.