New AI and gaming education initiative to expand access to technologies worldwide
ASU, Aethir collaboration will allow faculty, students to explore AI in game-based learning environments

By Deborah Sussman, ASU News
August 27, 2025

An new collaboration between Arizona State University and Aethir, a global leader in artificial intelligence infrastructure, will advance the use of AI and blockchain technologies in education. 

The initiative will launch at ASU’s Endless Games and Learning Lab, where faculty and students will explore real-world applications of AI in game-based learning environments.

The AI education market is projected to surpass $30 billion worldwide by 2032, yet high costs and enterprise monopolization of limited resources have left many educational institutions at a disadvantage. 

ASU and Aethir aim to change this, working together to give students and faculty unprecedented, direct access to advanced AI power and tools. 

To kick-start this effort, Aethir is providing up to $3 million via computing resources to support student-led projects, applied research and interactive learning experiences through the Endless Games and Learning Lab, beginning in the 2025–26 academic year.

“This partnership with Aethir gives us the infrastructure backbone to accelerate the future of game-based learning,” said Mark Ollila, founding director of ASU’s Endless Games and Learning Lab. “With access to scalable, enterprise-grade compute, we can co-create with AI and begin to model what ambient learning emerges through gameplay. It’s a foundational step toward realizing the full potential of 'play to learn.’”

Now, with more than $900 million invested in R &amp; D in fiscal year 2023, including $100 million dedicated to strengthening U.S. AI semiconductor capabilities, ASU has emerged as one of the fastest-growing and highest-ranked AI research universities in the country. 

Similarly, as the world’s largest distributed cloud GPU network (spanning over 435,000 enterprise-grade GPU containers across 93 countries, and more than 930 million compute hours delivered to date) Aethir is expanding access to scalable, decentralized cloud compute power for various AI applications. 

By combining ASU’s educational leadership with Aethir’s expertise and resources, the partnership aims to establish a replicable model for universities worldwide and to advance ASU's role as a hub for AI research, educational innovation, immersive learning and workforce-ready skill development.

“As a leader in decentralized AI infrastructure, we’re excited to work with ASU to enable scalable, real-world educational applications,” said Paul Thind, chief revenue officer of Aethir. “We're thrilled to support the next generation of students and researchers, and look forward to discovering how AI and edge computing can unlock new possibilities for learning, creativity and collaboration.” 

This story originally appeared on ASU News.