UW-Madison CDIS

What UW-Madison CDIS does

UW-Madison's College of Computing & Artificial Intelligence (CAI), formerly the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences (CDIS), is a public academic unit within the University of Wisconsin-Madison that delivers undergraduate and graduate education across three departments — Computer Sciences, Statistics, and the Information School (iSchool) — serving more than 6,200 students enrolled in programming spanning computer science, data science, statistics, and information science. The college runs interdisciplinary research centers including the Center for High Throughput Computing (CHTC), the N+1 Institute for AI and edge computing, and the Institute for Foundations of Data Science (IFDS), with active research in machine learning, computer vision, NLP, generative AI, quantum computing education, predictive analytics, and applied domains such as healthcare, environmental monitoring, and humanities (notably Brent Seales's virtual unwrapping of Herculaneum scrolls).

Its business model combines tuition and fees from degree programs with federal research grants (NSF, DOE, NIH, DOJ), large-scale philanthropic capital (over $400 million raised to launch the college and a $267 million privately funded facility in Morgridge Hall), and corporate engagement via the Industrial Affiliates Program, sponsored events, capstones, and a twice-yearly career fair. GTM is community- and event-led: faculty research collaborations, hackathons (MadHacks), RED Talks industry speaker series, the Badgers in Tech alumni network, and recruiting relationships with employers such as Epic, Google, GE Healthcare, Caterpillar, Schneider, Microsoft, OpenAI, and federal agencies including the NSA and Sandia National Laboratories.

Name

UW-Madison CDIS

Legal name

University of Wisconsin-Madison - School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences

Website

https://cdis.wisc.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The College of Computing & Artificial Intelligence at UW-Madison is a public academic unit delivering undergraduate and graduate education and interdisciplinary research across Computer Sciences, Statistics, and the Information School, serving 6,200+ students and partnering with federal agencies, major tech employers, and corporate donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education — Computing & Artificial Intelligence

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Computer Training (61142), Computer Training (611420), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Computing, Data & AI Focus (EDAHAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA), STEM-Focused Technical Universities (EDAHAEAD), Computer Science Theory (Computational Thinking, Logic, Discrete Math) (EDAMACAK)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Computer science degrees
• Data science programs
• Artificial intelligence research
• Computing academic programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Funding and Grants: UW-Madison ranks fifth nationally in university research expenditures at $1.93B. The college receives grants from NSF, DOE, NIH, DOJ and other federal agencies for research programs.
2. Philanthropic Giving: $400M+ in philanthropic and institutional investment to launch the college. Additional giving opportunities include the Badger Effect donor program ($2,019 per tile), naming opportunities, and CDIS Annual Fund contributions.
3. Tuition and Fees: Public university education revenue from undergraduate and graduate programs across Computer Sciences, Statistics, Data Science, and Information Science departments.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Industry partners support through Industrial Affiliates Program, sponsored events, hackathons, and recruiting activities. Companies like Epic, Google, and others participate in career fairs and campus recruiting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

UW-Madison's College of Computing & Artificial Intelligence offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Computer Sciences, Statistics, Data Science, and Information Science. It conducts funded research in AI, machine learning, quantum computing, computer vision, NLP, and high throughput computing through dedicated institutes. It also delivers corporate-facing services including recruiting, professional upskilling, and industry research partnerships.

Product overview

UW-Madison CDIS (now transitioning to the College of Computing & Artificial Intelligence, CAI) is an academic institution offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Computer Sciences, Statistics, Data Science, and Information Science. The institution operates from Morgridge Hall (opened 2025), a 343,000-square-foot LEED Platinum facility serving as the hub for education, research, and industry collaboration. Academic offerings include traditional degree programs (BS, MS, PhD), professional certificates (Kickstart for Professionals, Professional Capstone Certificate), and specialized programs like SAIL (Summer of AI Laboratory) in partnership with OpenAI. Student support services include the Phill and Liz Gross Learning Center (tutoring) and Rebecca M. Blank Student Commons. Research is conducted through centers including the Center for High Throughput Computing (CHTC), N+1 Institute (AI and edge computing), and Institute for the Foundations of Data Science (IFDS). The institution hosts signature events including RED Talks (industry speaker series), MadHacks hackathon, and twice-annual career fairs. Funding includes $400M+ in philanthropic and institutional investment and $1.93B in annual research expenditures ranking fifth nationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RED Talks: CDIS event series designed to advance learning at the intersection of technology and humanity, featuring academic and industry leaders sharing cutting-edge topics.
• Badgers in Tech

Products and services

• College of Computing & Artificial Intelligence Degree Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 5th nationally in university research expenditures
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2025Collaboration with Microsoft and TitletownTech to accelerate AI-driven scientific discovery through the Discovery Platform, opening new possibilities across the full spectrum of scientific inquiry.
• TitletownTechcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2025Joint partnership with Microsoft and TitletownTech to accelerate AI-driven scientific discovery. TitletownTech brings Wisconsin-based innovation ecosystem connections.
• EpicflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor employer recruiting at every career fair since 2020. Epic CEO Judy Faulkner delivered entrepreneurship talk at Morgridge Hall. Epic representatives participated in Generative AI RED Talk.
• GoogleflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegular participant at career fairs since 2019, recruiting for full-time and internship positions. Google engineer participated in career advice content.
• GE HealthcareflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFull-time and internship recruiting at career fairs. Reverse pitch event hosted with GE Healthcare Global Health.
• SchneidercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConsistent career fair participant since 2019. Major donor for CDIS Corporate Scholarship supporting undergraduate students.
• KohlercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFull-time and internship recruiting. Tech chat on digital transformation in global manufacturing. Data scientist spoke at RED Talks on AI.
• CaterpillarcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegular career fair participant since 2019, recruiting for full-time, internship, and co-op positions across technology roles.
• PlayStationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-op and full-time recruiting. Sony software development talk on 'Developing Your Skills as a Code Artist.'
• TruStagecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAI-Powered Insurance partnership through CTO Sidd Kuckreja speaking at RED Talks on transforming the industry through automation.
• KLAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFull-time and internship recruiting at career fairs since 2023. Offers visa sponsorship for international students.
• FetchcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMadison-based tech unicorn with CTO Wade Bruce speaking at RED Talks on highs and lows of growth. Regular internship recruiting.
• DraftKingscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFull-time and internship recruiting since 2023. Campus recruiter provided career advice content.
• DeloitteflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDeloitte Foundation Scholarship Fund established to support undergraduate students with demonstrated interest in technical roles. Regular career fair participant.
• American Family InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternship and full-time recruiting. Company logo displayed on industry partners page. Offers visa sponsorship.
• Capital OneflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCareer fair participant. Capital One logo displayed on industry partners page.
• Morgridge Institute for ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNamed after same donor family as Morgridge Hall. PhD student Mathom Johnson working on programming team for 3D electron beam metal printer.
• National Security AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFull-time and internship recruiting at career fairs since 2024.
• Sandia National LaboratoriescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFull-time, internship, and co-op recruiting at career fairs since 2024.
• Rockwell AutomationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFull-time, internship, and co-op recruiting at career fairs since 2024.
• OpenAIflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAIL (Summer of AI Laboratory) partnership - inaugural hands-on summer program sponsored by CDIS and OpenAI. Students develop AI-powered productivity tools.
• Creative Destruction LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership positions UW to spur innovation from high-potential startups. Deep ties and connections bolster Creative Destruction Lab launch in Wisconsin.
• WARF (Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerWARF Ambassadors program enhances connection between campus research and technology transfer. Foundation supports Morgridge Hall naming.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves2 records

Broad incumbents

• Carnegie Mellon University - School of Computer Science: Top-tier AI/CS school and benchmark for federally funded AI research, faculty quality, and industry partnerships — a relevant comparison point for UW-Madison CAI's research ambitions.
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - Grainger College of Engineering (CS): Top public CS department with deep HPC and AI research heritage; comparable to UW-Madison in research expenditure scale, public-university status, and industry recruiting footprint.
• Stanford University - Computer Science Department: Premier AI/CS research university with strong industry partnerships and the benchmark for academic-industry AI collaboration that UW-Madison's Microsoft and OpenAI partnerships aim to emulate.
• MIT - Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL): Top AI research lab with deep industry ties and federal funding; the ultimate benchmark for a computing college's research output and the AI talent pipeline UW-Madison is scaling toward.
• University of Washington - Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering: A top public-university CS school with strong industry partnerships (Microsoft, Amazon) and a strong AI research output — directly comparable to UW-Madison's strategic positioning.
• University of Michigan - Computer Science and Engineering: Large public university with substantial CS research output and industry partnerships (especially in automotive and manufacturing) — closely comparable to UW-Madison's research scale and Midwest tech recruiting base.
• University of Texas at Austin - Department of Computer Science: Large public university CS department with significant research expenditures and AI industry partnerships (especially in semiconductors and energy) — a comparable peer in research scale and public-university funding model.

Direct peers

• Cornell University - Cornell Bowers College of Computing and Information Science: Direct peer that also recently launched a new computing college consolidating CS, Information Science, and Statistics under one organizational unit — closely mirroring UW-Madison CAI's structure and strategic positioning.
• Georgia Tech - College of Computing: A leading public university computing college that combines CS, computational science, and cyber security as a standalone college — a structural template for UW-Madison CAI's standalone college model.
• UC Berkeley - Division of Computing, Data Science and Society (CDSS): Berkeley's recent creation of a cross-cutting computing and data division parallels UW-Madison CAI's interdisciplinary model, and Berkeley's research scale sets the national benchmark CAI is positioning toward.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uwcdis
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCaDLk69gfpp4p4f6jqvj-Bw
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/uwcdis
• Instagraminstagram.com/uwcdis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UW-Madison CDIS