Empire AI provides high-performance compute resources to eligible PIs across a consortium of New York State research institutions to advance safe, equitable, and responsible AI research for the public good.
All Empire AI compute and storage resources are measured using Service Units (SUs)
For the Alpha and Beta systems, resource usage is converted into SUs using predefined multipliers
**WARNING: CUIT's group subscriptions of BioRender, GraphPad Prism, and SnapGene are not certified to hold/process sensitive data (RHI, PII, PHI-related clinical data). Please refer to the University's Data Classification Policy if you are not sure of your data's classification, and ensure that you do not use sensitive data in BioRender, GraphPad Prism, or SnapGene software.**
Please note:
All technical support for these tools continue to go through the respective corporate software support teams; CUIT is not responsible for technical issues other than account provisioning and billing.
License reassignment cannot be done continuously so as to skirt fair usage terms of service.
Licenses are never auto-renewed. CUIT RCS will inform labs and users of the updated cost and provided with the opportunity to renew 2 months prior to license expiration.
GraphPad Prism licenses
Graphing and statistical software for creating publication-quality graphs and analyzing scientific data with t-tests, ANOVA, linear and nonlinear regression, survival analysis
Each license may be activated on two computers (e.g. a work device and a home device).
If someone from your lab leaves or gets a new computer, the license can be deactivated and redistributed to a different computer.
Molecular biology software for planning, visualizing, and documenting DNA cloning and PCR; allows feature annotation and primer design.
A SnapGene license can only be active on one computer at a time. If someone from your lab leaves or gets a new computer, the license can be deactivated and redistributed to a different computer.
Scientific image and illustration software used for creating professional, accurate figures and diagrams using a library of 50,000+ pre-made, scientifically accurate icons and templates for the life sciences and medicines.
BioRender is a web application (not a downloaded tool), so you can access it on any computer with internet.
Note: Columbia's BioRender subscription uses a UNI-based login. You cannot share a license with anyone else.
Mid-subscription BioRender Premium monthly license fee, based on our discounted 2026-27 $205.40/license annual rate. Your license purchase must extend until the end of CUIT's BioRender subscription (September 30, 2027). You cannot purchase a single month ("1 unit") unless there is only a month left in the subscription (i.e. it is late August 2027). Quantity billed equals the amount of months left until annual subscription renewal.
If you previously had a BioRender Premium license under your UNI@columbia.edu, but it was downgraded to Basic, you will have fully restored access to your images and publication rights by purchasing BioRender Premium through CUIT RCS.
For "ASAP" access Per person (user), enter 11 units for quantity (11 months for November - Sept 30 license) totaling $188.32/license. Licenses will be distibuted within 1-2 business days of your order.
For December access Per person (user), enter 10 units for quantity (10 months for December - Sept 30 license) totaling $171.20/license. Licenses will be distibuted by the morning of Tuesday, December 1.
Each license is tied to a user's UNI@columbia.edu, and provides the license-holder with access to thier BioRender Premium account on any computer with the internet. Users will log with their UNI password via Columbia's single sign-on, so licenses may not be shared between two (or more) users. Licenses are transferable in the event of lab turnover by contacting CUIT RCS.
Empire AI provides high-performance compute resources to eligible PIs across a consortium of New York State research institutions to advance safe, equitable, and responsible AI research for the public good.
All Empire AI compute and storage resources are measured using Service Units (SUs), a standard accounting mechanism familiar to users of NSF-funded national computing facilities. For the Alpha and Beta systems, resource usage is converted into SUs using predefined multipliers:
1 Alpha GPU hour = 1 SU
1 Beta GPU hour = 2 SU
1 Grace-Grace node hour = 0.5 SU
1 TB.month = 8.333 SU up to 100 TB; data over 100 TB will be free but allocated and managed separately
Priority queue access 2x the above
Shared resource access 0.5x the above
Eligible PIs will be able to purchase an initial allocation of up to 2,000 Service Units (SUs) once Beta is live, with additional opportunities to request supplemental SU allocations throughout the year as their usage is exhausted.
Empire AI provides high-performance compute resources to eligible PIs across a consortium of New York State research institutions to advance safe, equitable, and responsible AI research for the public good.
All Empire AI compute and storage resources are measured using Service Units (SUs), a standard accounting mechanism familiar to users of NSF-funded national computing facilities. For the Alpha and Beta systems, resource usage is converted into SUs using predefined multipliers:
1 Alpha GPU hour = 1 SU
1 Beta GPU hour = 2 SU
1 Grace-Grace node hour = 0.5 SU
1 TB.month = 8.333 SU up to 100 TB; data over 100 TB will be free but allocated and managed separately
Priority queue access 2x the above
Shared resource access 0.5x the above
Eligible PIs will be able to purchase an initial allocation of up to 2,000 Service Units (SUs) once Beta is live, with additional opportunities to request supplemental SU allocations throughout the year as their usage is exhausted.
Mid-subscription BioRender Premium monthly license fee, based on our discounted 2026-27 $205.40/license annual rate. Your license purchase must extend until the end of CUIT's BioRender subscription (September 30, 2027). You cannot purchase a single month ("1 unit") unless there is only a month left in the subscription (i.e. it is late August 2027). Quantity billed equals the amount of months left until annual subscription renewal.
If you previously had a BioRender Premium license under your UNI@columbia.edu, but it was downgraded to Basic, you will have fully restored access to your images and publication rights by purchasing BioRender Premium through CUIT RCS.
For "ASAP" access Per person (user), enter 11 units for quantity (11 months for November - Sept 30 license) totaling $188.32/license. Licenses will be distibuted within 1-2 business days of your order.
For December access Per person (user), enter 10 units for quantity (10 months for December - Sept 30 license) totaling $171.20/license. Licenses will be distibuted by the morning of Tuesday, December 1.
Each license is tied to a user's UNI@columbia.edu, and provides the license-holder with access to thier BioRender Premium account on any computer with the internet. Users will log with their UNI password via Columbia's single sign-on, so licenses may not be shared between two (or more) users. Licenses are transferable in the event of lab turnover by contacting CUIT RCS.
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