Jensen Huang to Teach at Silicon Valley's New 'AI Alternative School' Aiming to Replace Universities

A prominent venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, USA, is establishing an artificial intelligence (AI) talent training institution designed to replace traditional universities.

Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) announced on September 22 (local time) that it is launching the Horowitz Andreessen Academy (HAA) to provide high school graduates and future talent with the practical skills needed in the AI era.

The venture capital firm explained the background of HAA's establishment, stating, "If the internet made it possible for us to know anything, AI makes it possible for us to do anything. This has changed the meaning of education and youth, demanding a new kind of educational institution."

HAA will operate as a residential, full-time, in-person program at its San Francisco campus, featuring guest lectures delivered directly by top executives and founders from major tech industries. The lineup of instructors is formidable, with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, Microsoft (MS) CEO Satya Nadella, Thinking Machines Labs CEO and former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, and Uber founder Travis Kalanick slated to participate as lecturers.

Unlike traditional universities, the institution's distinguishing feature is that its curriculum moves away from traditional theoretical lectures, focusing instead on hands-on training, expert-led courses, and individual projects.

In particular, through practical training programs, students will be able to gain hands-on experience through rotations or internships at major tech companies, both during vacations and throughout the academic semesters.

Companies offering practical training opportunities include industry-leading firms such as NVIDIA, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Palantir, and Anduril.

HAA will begin accepting admissions applications immediately, with classes slated to start for its inaugural one-year program cohort next fall.

However, in its first year, the institution will operate as an unaccredited educational program offering tuition waivers, before seeking state approval to expand into a two-year regular curriculum by 2028, with tuition fees comparable to those of elite private universities.

a16z has directly invested 35 million dollars (approx. 47 billion KRW) into HAA, and founders Mark Andreessen and General Partner Eric Torreberg will join the board of directors.

Torreberg told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), "Venture is about discovering and nurturing talent, and universities are exactly that. I am confident that we will end up investing in some of the founders who graduate from this school."

However, John Friedman, dean of Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, noted that while a model featuring lectures by top industry leaders could benefit students, universities retain distinct advantages backed by proven track records and decades of experienced faculty.

(Photo: Captured from HAA website, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.