Understanding the convergence of artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud technologies in shaping the future of education and energy systems

Education and energy sustain economic growth and development of a prosperous society and are essential to maintain readiness and capabilities for the nation (Annapareddy, 2022; Chava & Rani, 2023; Kannan, 2022). Higher education is an integral fabric of a society. In the United States, research performed by colleges and universities plays a dominant role in the development of new technology and hence contributes to the sustainable growth of the economy. Land-grant universities often have significant responsibilities for extension and outreach programs, enriching society, and empowering agricultural, economic, and social advancement. Therefore, research and education are tightly coupled through a proper academic and outreach faculty working closely to advance our understanding of fundamental principles and to accelerate the application and transfer of transformative technologies to support societal and economic well-being.

In the new age of the big data era, which directs the renaissance of artificial intelligence as the computing framework, machine learning becomes the tip of the spear of artificial intelligence research to address a wide range of applications in a people- and data-driven demand world. Over the past few decades, machine learning has revolutionized many fields by enabling machines to learn from data and experience. The mainstream approach of adapting artificial neural networks, also known as deep learning, as the learning models, and scaling the models up using sophisticated mathematical theorems, also known as big model mathematics, has produced an explosion of feasibility for machine learning for a wide range of applications in information technology over computing platforms. The majority of today's computing infrastructure for enabling AI development and deployment is powered by cloud technologies. The convergence of AI, big data, and cloud technologies has reshaped and will continue to shape how we produce, distribute, and enrich educational instruction and content in the post-pandemic future, and redefine the discourse of energy systems vital for the economic stability and military readiness of the nation.