New AI Supercomputing Center Opens at Fresno State to Support Central Valley Agriculture

A new supercomputing center at Fresno State is now providing Central Valley farmers, researchers, and businesses with access to advanced artificial intelligence tools designed to address challenges in California’s food and agriculture industry.

The F3i Supercomputing Center, launched July 9, is a partnership between Fresno State, the UC San Diego Supercomputer Center, and F3 Innovate. The center provides shared access to powerful computing resources and technical support, allowing growers, food processors, manufacturers, logistics companies, startups, and researchers to test and apply AI to real-world challenges without building their own computing systems.

“California agriculture has always been driven by innovation,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “The F3i Supercomputing Center is a perfect example of partnerships that will help our farmers, researchers and entrepreneurs access resources to solve challenges, strengthen our food system, and create opportunity in rural and local communities.”

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The Central Valley produces more than a quarter of the nation’s food, supports more than 14,000 farming and food-processing operations, and generates significant economic value. However, most investment supporting AI development has historically been located elsewhere.

Drew Ketelson, vice president of HMC Farms and a member of the F3I board of directors, has already used the supercomputer on his farm to track vehicle performance and develop fleet management strategies. “It took me three minutes to build a whole fleet management program,” Ketelson said. “It was something that was really tangible and hands-on that just really changed my operation overnight.”

The center operates as a cloud service that users can access remotely, tapping into the same data resources as UC San Diego’s Supercomputing Center. Officials demonstrated during the launch how the system can analyze years of information, including weather records, irrigation schedules, harvest data, and satellite imagery in seconds, helping growers make decisions about irrigation timing and crop protection.

Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval said the university aims to be a leader in AI for the Valley. Starting in fall, Fresno State students can take a minor in artificial intelligence.

The July 9 launch event included AI model demonstrations and case studies, and was attended by Congressmen Jim Costa and Vince Fong, along with Assemblymembers David Tangipa and Esmeralda Soria.

The Breakdown

• The F3i Supercomputing Center is housed at Fresno State and provides cloud-based access to advanced computing resources from UC San Diego’s Supercomputer Center
• Users include growers, food processors, manufacturers, logistics companies, startups, researchers, educators, and students across the Central Valley
• F3 Innovate provides hands-on technical support to help users create AI solutions for their specific needs
• The center aims to strengthen workforce development and support research, business growth, and economic development in the region
• Fresno State will offer a minor in artificial intelligence starting fall 2026

What This Means for You

If you work in agriculture, food processing, logistics, or related industries in the Central Valley, you now have local access to advanced AI computing tools that previously required significant investment to obtain. Students at Fresno State will have access to cutting-edge technology training and a new AI minor, while the broader community may see economic development opportunities as the region’s innovation infrastructure expands.