The UTSA Open Cloud Institute (OCI) recently celebrated its 10‑year legacy with a gathering of over 40 faculty, students and alumni, reflecting on a decade of growth and impact. Launched in 2015 with support from the 80|20 Foundation and backing from Graham Weston, OCI’s mission has been to elevate UTSA to national prominence in cloud computing research, education and workforce development. What began as a vision has matured into a key driver of technological innovation across San Antonio and beyond.
Under OCI’s guidance, UTSA has fostered interdisciplinary collaboration among engineering, science and business faculty to equip students with both the technical and entrepreneurial skills needed for success. Among its signature offerings is a 12‑credit Graduate Certificate in Cloud Computing, introduced in 2017, which helps students deepen cloud expertise. In its 10-years, OCI also launched the Catalyst Lab, a 10‑week summer fellowship that places graduate students into tech companies to apply skills in cloud, data science, machine learning and cybersecurity.
As OCI looks toward the next phase, it has formed a new advisory board to steer its “OCI 2.0” strategy, with an eye on expansion into AI and closer integration with UTSA’s emerging College of AI, Cyber and Computing. With bold ambitions and a strong foundation, OCI is poised to shape the future of cloud innovation well into its second decade.
