Infrastructure-First Curriculum - Operators, Not Just Learners

Physical Labs.
Real Systems.

Trade-school-style fundamentals: power, cooling, compute, cabling, networking, and monitoring. Scholars work as operators, not just learners. Every system they touch is real. Every build is documented.

Scholar-mentors teaching APS students is a core learning mechanism inside the curriculum. Mentorship is how scholars reinforce mastery, not an extracurricular add-on.

Energy → Silicon → Infrastructure → Models → Applications → Quantum

Every layer is built on the one below it. Nothing is learned in a vacuum.

Curriculum Sponsor

Red Hat Curriculum Alignment

AARI uses open-source tools and industry-supported platforms to give students practical exposure to modern computing environments in an educational setting.

Students learn through guided use of modern platforms and tools that help them build practical knowledge and confidence.

OpenShift

Enterprise Kubernetes platform for container orchestration at scale

OpenStack

Private cloud infrastructure for managing compute, storage, and networking

RHEL

Red Hat Enterprise Linux, the OS of enterprise infrastructure

Ansible

Automation and configuration management at enterprise scale

What This Means for Students

Resume-ready Red Hat skills before graduation
Hands-on lab access to OpenShift and OpenStack environments
Industry-recognized certification pathways
Curriculum alignment with Red Hat platform concepts

Edge Computing

Edge to Cloud

AI doesn't only live in the data center. AARI teaches the full spectrum, from a Raspberry Pi at the edge to a GPU cluster in the cloud.

NVIDIA Jetson

Edge AI Platform

Students deploy AI inference at the edge using NVIDIA Jetson devices. Jetson hardware shows how AI interacts with sensors, images, and physical systems in real-world settings.

Inference Pipelines Computer Vision JetPack SDK TensorRT

Raspberry Pi

IoT & Embedded Computing

Raspberry Pi teaches students the fundamentals of embedded computing, IoT integration, and low-power systems design. It's the training ground where Linux administration, networking, and hardware interface all meet.

Embedded Linux GPIO & Sensors IoT Protocols Networking

Bare-Metal Systems Training

Building Strong Technical Foundations

AARI helps students understand the foundations behind modern computing so they can build stronger technical intuition.

Server Racking & Cabling

Students physically install and cable enterprise servers. No click-to-deploy here. You understand every component before you virtualize anything.

Network Configuration

Students explore networking, storage, and secure systems concepts through supervised lab activities and guided projects. Security awareness is built in from the start.

Storage Systems

Students explore storage concepts including SAN, NAS, NVMe, and object storage through supervised lab activities and guided projects.

The Full Curriculum Stack

Energy to App

We teach students how AI systems work from the underlying computing environment through real-world applications, helping them understand both concepts and practice.

Layer 1

Energy

Power systems, UPS, PDUs, PUE efficiency, data center power architecture

Layer 2

Silicon

CPU, GPU, TPU, FPGA, accelerated compute, hardware architecture, NVIDIA CUDA

Layer 3

Infrastructure

Bare metal, virtualization, containers, Kubernetes, OpenShift, networking, security

Layer 4

Models

ML training, fine-tuning, inference optimization, MLOps, model registry and deployment

Layer 5

Applications

Real AI products, robotics, automation, the capstone, not the starting point

Layer 6

Quantum

NVIDIA CUDA-Q

Quantum computing foundations using NVIDIA CUDA-Q, the frontier of compute where classical and quantum meet

The robot isn't the goal. It's proof the pipeline works. Our students don't just use AI tools. They understand and build every layer of the systems that power them.

Summer 2026 Program Progress

Data Center Site #2 Is Under Construction

AARI is expanding from one hands-on infrastructure lab into a distributed learning environment anchored by a solar-powered Site #2 co-location facility, where scholars build, rack, cable, configure, secure, observe, and operate real systems.

Track 1

Infrastructure Build and Operations

AARI scholars and technical mentors are racking and staging systems at the second Atlanta training site. Scholars handle servers, assemble racks, trace cables, document systems, and learn the operating disciplines behind modern computing environments.

Physical data center build and operations
Networking configuration and monitoring
Linux systems administration
Edge device deployment and telemetry
Documented project output

Track 2

Summer 2026 Technical Program

The Site #2 environment supports a test, development, and production operating model across physical infrastructure and the software stack.

Linux, networking, virtualization, and cloud architecture
Cybersecurity, SIEM, and infrastructure observability
Robotics and Jetson edge deployment
Morehouse and AUC student pipeline
Test, development, and production documentation

AARI scholars and partners gathered around the secured server cage at the solar-powered Data Center Site #2 co-location facility. — AARI scholars and partners at the solar-powered Site #2 co-location facility during the data-center buildout.

Current milestone: two active data center training sites, with Site #2 server racking and staging underway during the Summer 2026 cohort.

Student Spotlight

Student Spotlight: Rasheed Jeheeb

“Because of AARI, I can see myself becoming a successful and passionate expert in robotics and a practicing engineer.”

Rasheed Jeheeb

AARI Scholar

Rasheed’s reflection connects hands-on robotics, data-center infrastructure, student mentorship, certifications, and career development. He also describes how AARI’s emphasis on ethical and culturally competent engineering, systems thinking, troubleshooting, communication, and documentation is shaping how he sees his future.

Read Rasheed’s full reflection

Perspective on AARI

Before joining, I thought the initiative focused primarily on teaching robotics concepts to younger scientists. I now understand that building alongside students is also a way to learn practical robotics applications and understand the responsibilities of technical mentorship.

Data-center experience

Building a data center has been a surprising addition to the program. Along with training in computer hardware and infrastructure, I am beginning to understand where I fit within current advances in AI and robotics.

Certifications and technical growth

The opportunity to pursue certifications across several areas of technology has been a welcome surprise. By practicing concepts through hands-on work as I learn them, I am developing a stronger understanding of my value and capabilities as a new graduate engineer.

Career direction

Because of AARI, I can now see myself becoming a successful and passionate robotics expert and practicing engineer. Teaching others while also being mentored has given me a clearer direction for the future.

AARI’s combination of cultural competence, ethical training, systems thinking, troubleshooting, professional communication, and documentation is helping me understand how the skills I build today can support my career as a materials scientist and engineer.

Advice to other students

I would tell another student to remain curious while staying focused on the real-world problems they want to solve. Through AARI, we meet professionals whose paths are similar to ours and whose experience can become a valuable resource for new engineers and scientists.

By remaining open to other perspectives while retaining the foundational skills that brought you here, AARI can help you develop confidence and practical experience in a matter of weeks.

Physical Labs. Real Systems.