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National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR)

DOE is Enabling Artificial Intelligence Research Infrastructure, Development, and Use

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is pleased to contribute to the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR), a concept for a shared national research infrastructure to connect U.S. researchers to responsible and trustworthy AI resources. NAIRR seeks to make available the needed computational data, software, training, and educational resources to fuel AI research and discovery.

DOE and its national laboratories have invested in AI development and use since the early 1960s, developing cutting-edge AI tools, data science capabilities, and high-performance computing leadership. The Office of Science’s Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) program developed several technologies – including massively parallel input/output systems and linear algebra solvers – that led to today’s AI systems. ASCR’s sustained support for leading-edge high-performance computing led to the world’s first exascale computing ecosystem that is providing the hardware and software needed to power future generations of frontier AI.

DOE Contributions to the NAIRR

With experience driving progress in the strategically important and highly competitive technological space of AI research, DOE’s unmatched scientific and technical workforce will play significant roles in carrying out the President’s Executive Order, helping to establish new guidelines, standards, and best practices for AI safety and security; promote innovation and competition; protect Americans’ privacy; and strengthen U.S. leadership abroad.

NAIRR Open

Enable open AI research and access to diverse AI resources via a central portal and coordinated allocations.

NAIRR Secure

Enable AI research needing privacy and security-preserving resources. Assemble exemplar privacy preserving resources.

NAIRR Software

Facilitate use of AI software platforms, tools and services.

NAIRR Classroom

Reach new communities through education, training, user support and outreach.

DOE is making the following key NAIRR contributions. Visit each resource to learn more. Access to these resources will be made available through the NAIRR Pilot Portal.

Computing Resources

Argonne Leadership Computing Facility’s AI Testbed

The Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF) AI Testbed is a growing collection of some of the world’s most advanced AI accelerators available for open scientific research. With advanced capabilities for training, inference, and data-intensive tasks for a diverse set of AI workloads, including foundation models, large language models, and computer vision models. The ALCF AI Testbed systems enable researchers to explore and accelerate next-generation machine learning applications to advance the use of AI for science. The ALCF is offering access to its Cerebras, Graphcore, Groq, and SambaNova systems.

Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility’s Summit

As one of the world’s fastest supercomputers, the IBM AC922 Summit supercomputer is a powerful and reliable instrument for scientific discoveries in artificial intelligence, energy, climate, health, and other areas with a direct impact on national security and global welfare. DOE extended Summit operations for a year to support AI-enabled open science supercomputing.

Scientific Datasets

DOE is a leading producer of scientific data.

Materials Project

A recognized leader of data generation, storage, and distribution in the domain of materials science.

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Data Center (ADC)

The leading provider of ground-based atmospheric measurements with the goal of advancing atmospheric and climate research.

Joint Genome Institute (JGI)

A recognized leader of data generation, storage, and distribution in the domain of materials science.

Systems Biology Knowledgebase

A data platform that aims to enable researchers to predict and ultimately design biological function.

Particle Data Group (PDG)

An international collaboration that provides an authoritative and comprehensive summary of particle physics as well as related areas of cosmology and astrophysics.

National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC)

A worldwide resource for nuclear data.

Student Training Series

ALCF Intro to AI-driven Science on Supercomputers

The ALCF Introduction to AI-driven Science on Supercomputers aims to train a new and diverse generation of AI practitioners to accelerate scientific discovery. This training series is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at U.S. universities and community colleges and hands-on course that will teach attendees to use leading-edge supercomputers to develop and apply AI solutions for the world’s most challenging problems.

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The Evolution of NAIRR

Establishing the National AI Initiative

In January 2021, as part of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020, Congress established the National AI Initiative to further coordinate and enhance Federal actions toward four objectives:

  • Ensure continued U.S. leadership in AI research and development;
  • Lead the world in development and use of trustworthy AI systems in the public and private sectors;
  • Prepare the U.S. workforce for the integration of AI systems across all sectors of the economy and society;
  • Coordinate ongoing AI research, development, and demonstration activities among civilian agencies, the Department of Defense, and the Intelligence Community.

Continuing support for AI

The Initiative codifies sustained and consistent support for AI R&D through grants, cooperative agreements, testbeds, and access to data and computing resources. It further requires that the National AI R&D Strategic Plan, which focuses AI R&D investments across agencies, be updated every three years.

Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence

In October 2023, President Biden signed the executive order, “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence,” outlining the Biden-Harris Administration’s plan to ensure the United States is at the forefront of responsible AI innovation and discovery. The Executive Order is the most significant action any government has ever taken on AI.

National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource

The Executive Order launched the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource. The Resource is a system that provides researchers and students across scientific fields and disciplines with access to computational resources, co-located with publicly available, artificial intelligence-ready government and non-government datasets, and a research environment with appropriate educational tools and user support.

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