ZotGPT Gateway
UCI's next-generation AI API platform. Access multiple AI models through a single, secure gateway — with UCInetID sign-in, budget controls, and real-time observability built in.
Built for the Entire Campus
ZotGPT Gateway replaces the legacy Azure API with a modern, multi-model platform that works for researchers, developers, faculty, and students alike.
UCInetID & SSO
Sign in with your existing UCInetID — no Active Directory account or separate registration required. Free Tier access is provisioned automatically.
Budget Enforcement
You can set budgets and per-key spend limits, preventing unexpected costs while still enabling flexible access for a wide range of use cases.
Plus, get started with $50 of free credits for testing and development — on OIT.
Comprehensive Documentation
Detailed guides, code samples, and best practices for getting the most out of the Gateway — whether you're building a course assistant or a research data pipeline.
Access Tiers
Three tiers designed to meet the full spectrum of academic, research, and development needs across the UCI community.
Free Tier
Available to UCI instructors and staff
Affiliation-based access at no cost with built-in budget guardrails. Undergraduate access requires a sponsoring principal investigator.
Standard Tier
ServiceNow Intake Form
Full API access for faculty and staff with a validated KFS number. Enforced budget policies apply at both the user and workspace level.
Advanced Research
Upon Request
High-limit API access for complex research workloads. Isolated workspaces with full observability on a shared backend, for validated research use cases.
Technical Features
A modern API platform designed for flexibility, observability, and scale.
Modern API
ZotGPT Gateway leverages the Portkey API specification — migrate existing code with just a few changes and a new API key.
- Works with available Portkey APIs
- Chat completions, embeddings, and more
- Streaming responses supported
Multi-Model Access
Access a growing catalog of AI models from a single endpoint — no need to manage multiple API keys or providers.
- GPT-5.5 and all AI models available within ZotGPT
- Model comparison tools built in
- New models added without code changes
Self-Managed API Keys
Generate and manage your own virtual API keys within your assigned workspace — without opening an IT support ticket.
- Create and revoke keys instantly
- Per-key usage tracking
- No IT overhead for key management
Usage Analytics
A full observability dashboard with real-time token usage, latency breakdowns, cost tracking, and model performance comparisons.
- Real-time request and token monitoring
- Latency and error rate dashboards
- Cost breakdowns by project or key
What You Can Build
ZotGPT Gateway provides the foundation for AI-powered applications across research, instruction, and administration.
Research Automation
Parse and structure large document sets, generate summaries, assist with literature reviews, and automate data labeling pipelines.
Course Tools
Build custom tutors, grading assistants, feedback generators, and automated Q&A tools tailored to your course content.
Administrative Workflows
Automate email drafting, document summarization, form processing, and internal knowledge base search across departments.
Data Pipelines
Enrich datasets with AI-generated annotations, classifications, and embeddings at scale — integrated directly into existing ETL workflows.
Get Started with ZotGPT Gateway
Most UCI community members can access the Gateway immediately through UCInetID SSO. Higher usage tiers require a brief request.
Sign In with UCInetID
Navigate to the Gateway portal and authenticate with your UCInetID. Faculty, staff, and graduate students are automatically provisioned with Free Tier access — no request needed.
Open Gateway Portal @ Portkey AI →Create a Virtual API Key
In the Gateway portal, navigate to your workspace and generate a virtual API key. You can create multiple keys for different projects and revoke them at any time.
Make Your First Call
Use the Portkey SDK or modern options. Bring in the Portkey API and use your virtual key as the API key. Existing code migrates with minimal changes.
Need Higher Limits?
Faculty and staff with a KFS number can request Standard Tier access for higher budgets and departmental workspace support. Researchers with specialized workloads can apply for the Advanced Research Tier.
Request Upgraded Access →Quick Start Example
ZotGPT Gateway is powered by Portkey — a modern API platform for seamless AI integration.
JavaScript
import Portkey from 'portkey-ai';
const portkey = new Portkey({
apiKey: process.env.PORTKEY_API_KEY,
provider: '@openai-prod' // Provider slug from Model Catalog
});
const response = await portkey.chat.completions.create({
messages: [{ role: 'user', content: 'Hello, world!' }],
model: 'GPT-5.5'
});
console.log(response.choices[0].message.content);Python
from portkey_ai import Portkey
portkey = Portkey(
api_key = process.env.PORTKEY_API_KEY
)
response = portkey.chat.completions.create(
model = "@zotgpt-api-bedrock/us.anthropic.claude-opus-4-7",
messages = [
{"role": "system", "content": "You are a helpful assistant."},
{"role": "user", "content": "What is Portkey"}
],
max_tokens = 512
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)Learn more about supported Portkey SDKs →
Available today: .Net, JavaScript, and Python. More languages and frameworks coming soonk, including Java, PHP, Ruby, Go, and more!
Ready to Get Started?
Sign in with your UCInetID to access the Gateway portal, generate an API key, and start building.
Available to all UCI Faculty, Staff & Graduate Students · Supported by UCI OIT