emirates7 - Google has unveiled a US$1 billion initiative spanning three years to boost access to artificial intelligence tools and training for higher education institutions and non-profits across the United States.

The programme already includes more than 100 universities, among them prominent institutions like Texas A&M and the University of North Carolina. Participants will benefit from a variety of resources, including financial support, cloud computing credits, and complimentary licenses for the premium version of Google's Gemini AI chatbot, all aimed at enhancing student learning and academic research.

James Manyika, Google’s Senior Vice-President for Research, Labs, Technology & Society, stated that the tech giant intends to expand the programme to all accredited non-profit colleges nationwide, and is also exploring potential global rollouts, according to Reuters.

The announcement comes amid growing rivalry among leading tech firms in the AI space. Microsoft, for instance, recently committed US$4 billion to advance AI integration in education worldwide, with similar moves being made by OpenAI and Anthropic.