Building Smarter States: How AI Infrastructure Can Transform Communities

State lawmakers shape their communities by looking to the future. The decisions made today can redefine how states thrive tomorrow—creating opportunities, improving lives and opening doors to progress for generations. It’s both a challenge and an opportunity that calls for innovative solutions.  

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a concept of the distant future. It’s here, transforming government operations and helping solve pressing challenges like resource constraints, infrastructure maintenance, and improving citizen services. For AI to deliver its full potential, however, states require a strong foundation—scalable, reliable infrastructure that powers AI’s ability to process vast, real-time data. 

By prioritizing the right infrastructure, states can unlock AI’s immense potential, enabling innovation, improving efficiency, and creating lasting benefits for their citizens.   

Why infrastructure is the foundation of AI success

AI’s real power lies in its capability to analyze and act on massive amounts of data in real time. But to accomplish this, it requires robust infrastructure designed to meet its demands. The success of any AI system depends on three key components: 

1. Edge Computing for Faster Decisions: When data is processed closer to its source—such as sensors, cameras or other devices—AI can make faster, more accurate decisions. For instance, dynamic traffic systems powered by edge computing can evaluate real-time inputs to keep people moving efficiently and safely. 
2. Scalability to Grow with Needs: AI initiatives often start small, like pilot projects for citizen engagement or predictive maintenance. Scalable infrastructure ensures these projects can expand seamlessly across entire states without sacrificing their performance or reliability. 
3. Reliability for Critical Operations: AI underpins essential government functions from public safety monitoring to infrastructure health. Reliable technology ensures systems perform consistently, even under high demand, safeguarding the operations that communities depend on. 

Investing in infrastructure tailored for AI doesn’t just ensure short-term success. It prepares state governments to adapt quickly to emerging challenges and opportunities, creating a future-ready foundation for innovation. 

AI in action: real solutions for real challenges

AI and other cutting-edge technologies are already transforming communities, solving problems in practical and scalable ways. Here are a few real-world success stories: 

• Amarillo, Texas: The city’s AI assistant, Emma, can communicate in multiple languages, improving residents’ access to important information on city services. The AI assistant was built in collaboration with Dell and is powered by Dell infrastructure.  

• Bellevue, Washington: The city, in partnership with Archetype AI, Khasm Labs, AT&T, and Dell, introduced an AI system that uses real-time camera data to enhance traffic safety. Powered by Dell’s edge computing platform and GPUs, the system analyzes patterns and incidents at intersections, dynamically adjusting traffic signals and enabling rapid responses to protect pedestrians and drivers. 

• Texas Children’s Hospital worked with Dell and Mark III Systems on a pilot that used digital twins to inform the design of the labor and delivery rooms in its Austin hospital, providing a potential blueprint for how hospitals can approach facility planning to enhance care, efficiency, and patient and staff experiences.   

• Farmwave is helping farmers enhance growth with its AI software, running at the edge on Dell Rugged tablets, to monitor and calculate grain loss in real-time through cameras on farm machinery. This technology enables farmers to fine-tune equipment, reduce waste and boost yields, promoting practices to help farmers retain more grain and reduce food waste. 

• Top 20 largest US counties: Across the nation’s largest counties, Dell’s AI-ready PowerEdge and PowerScale platforms support critical IT environments, enabling scalable and reliable AI applications that drive innovation in public services and infrastructure management. 

And those are just a few examples. We also have impactful collaborations like Lafayette Utilities System enhancing cyber resilience and utility reliability, MatrixSpace deploying AI-powered edge solutions for rapid emergency response, and Oregon State University accelerating oceanic and marine life research with real-time AI insights.  

These success stories show how AI, paired with the right infrastructure, can address real-world challenges in practical, scalable, and impactful ways. 

The opportunity for state policymakers

By prioritizing AI infrastructure, state governments can lead transformative change and enable the following benefits for constituents: 

1. Boost Economic Growth: Hubs for AI innovation attract startups, innovators and investment. States across the country have seen significant job creation and investment by fostering AI-friendly ecosystems. By building the right infrastructure, states can encourage businesses to establish operations, creating high-paying jobs in cutting-edge technology and driving local economic development. 
2. Improve Citizen Services: AI can make government services faster, more efficient, and accessible. Like Amarillo’s AI assistant, Emma, these tools save time and improve the overall citizen experience while simplifying resource management for state agencies. 
3. Enhance Resilience: Leverage predictive analytics to address challenges before they become crises. Like Lafayette Utilities System, AI can monitor infrastructure, improve reliability and identify wear and tear before it leads to costly repairs or accidents. Similarly, AI-driven resource management can help states prepare for natural disasters by optimizing emergency response plans and ensuring critical supplies are in place. 

Partnering for progress

AI is already driving extraordinary change in cities, hospitals, farms, and beyond, but its success starts with a foundation of robust, scalable infrastructure. By investing in this vital framework, state policymakers can ensure AI delivers measurable benefits and resilient solutions tailored to their communities’ needs.  

At Dell Technologies, partnerships with state governments are about powering smarter, more connected communities. Whether through edge computing, cloud solutions, or collaborative innovation, we bring decades of expertise and a commitment to leadership. Together, we can create a future where innovation isn’t just about solving problems; it’s about creating opportunities.  

This is the future of state leadership—a smarter, more connected future driven by AI and built on a foundation we create today.