Colorful map of places where USC has created innovations in advanced computing.

Science/Technology

Where to Find Advanced Computing at USC (Hint: It’s Everywhere!)

A visual guide to where USC has made its mark on the computing landscape throughout Southern California.

June 01, 2023 Adam Smith

An illustrated map of places where USC has created innovations in advanced computing, Playa Vista.

THE USC INSTITUTE FOR CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIES

is a global leader in virtual humans, graphics, AI and mixed reality. The space houses the Vision & Graphics Lab, where USC’s Paul Debevec won an Oscar for creating characters for films such as Avatar, The Matrix and Gravity. It is also home to the Mixed Reality Lab (MxR), where former ICT engineer Palmer Luckey developed early versions of the Oculus Rift.

An illustrated map of places where USC has created innovations in advanced computing, Marina Del Rey.

THE USC INFORMATION SCIENCES INSTITUTE (ISI)

is USC’s “crown jewel” research institute that helped design, develop and run the early internet. ISI houses the USC-Lockheed Martin Quantum Computing Center, the only commercial quantum computing system in the world hosted and operated by a university. It is also home to DeterLab, the nation’s largest and most advanced test bed for R&D on next-generation cybersecurity. There are ISI centers located in Waltham, Mass., and Arlington, Va.

An illustrated map of places where USC has created innovations in advanced computing, Space X headquarters.

SPACEX,

the world’s most recognizable private space company, employs more engineers from USC than any other school.

An illustrated map of places where USC has created innovations in advanced computing at AltaSea.

USC’S ALTASEA URBAN MARINE RESEARCH CENTER

is a 35-acre lab that uses computing to create solutions in business and education by addressing climate change and global food security for the future of our oceans.

An illustrated map of places where USC has created innovations in advanced computing, University Park Campus.

THE NSF I-CORPS HUB WEST REGION

is led by the USC Viterbi School of Engineering; the $15 million hub supports tech startups for the Western United States in partnership with seven universities.

An illustrated map of places where USC has created innovations in advanced computing, green game controller.

USC GAMES,

ranked the top games program in the country for more than a decade, is a joint program between the USC School of Cinematic Arts and USC Viterbi.

An illustrated map of places where USC has created innovations in advanced computing, selfie.

THE USC SIGNAL AND IMAGE PROCESSING INSTITUTE

is where coding research began for the JPEG and MPEG standards used for digital image compression—enabling today’s selfies.

An illustrated map of places where USC has created innovations in advanced computing.

DR. ALLEN AND CHARLOTTE GINSBURG HUMAN-CENTERED COMPUTATION HALL

opens in 2024; the 116,000-square-foot facility will be home to the new USC School of Advanced Computing.

An illustrated map of places where USC has created innovations in advanced computing, USCHSC.

THE USC CENTER FOR BODY COMPUTING

was founded in 2006 as one of the nation’s first academically based digital health research and innovation centers.

An illustrated yellow map of places where USC has created innovations in advanced computing.

THE USC MARK AND MARY STEVENS NEUROIMAGING AND INFORMATICS INSTITUTE

leads a massive, $17.8 million new AI study of Alzheimer’s, aiding precision diagnostics, prognosis and the development of new treatments.