Bill Gates, Dell family speak at opening of new UT computer science building

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Young technology and entrepreneur geeks crowded around Microsoft founder Bill Gates as he prepared to speak Wednesday at the opening of the new UT building that he and Michael Dell teamed up to fund.

"It’s kind of unusual, you know, that two of your biggest backers are dropouts," joked Gates as he stood at the podium. 

The Bill and Melinda Gates Computer Science Center and Dell Computer Science Hall was partially funded with a $50 million gift to the University of Texas System to support a variety of programs in technology and human health. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation contributed $30 million, and The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation gave $10 million.

“This country and its great companies need people who are good at computer science," said Gates. "To some degree the demand has gotten ahead of the supply. The simplest solution to that is to have students here who do great work...and go on to work in this area.” 

The 140,000-square-foot complex will accommodate a 40 percent increase in faculty and a 50 percent increase in computer science students in order to meet the increasing demand for computing innovation.

Gates praised UT's computer science department for recruiting Hispanics and women into the industry. Currently, the department boasts having the largest and most diverse of the top-ten computer science programs in the country.

Michael and Susan Dell were unable to attend the ceremony, but instead sent their son Zachary Dell to speak on their behalf. 

"It’s a place where entrepreneurs, innovators and thinkers find the freedom and inspiration to work," he said. "That’s what UT was for my dad, and that’s what this building will be for University of Texas students for years to come.”

Before cutting the ribbons on the building, the speakers were joined on stage with a robot built in UT's computer science department. The robot is part of a soccer team of bots that competed in the RoboCup in Mexico City last year and won first place. 

"What starts here, changes the world," said the bot, eliciting cheers and shouts from the audience.

The new building is located on Speedway and consists of two buildings and a connecting glass atrium. It connects with the O’Donnell ACES Building.