US Department of Energy’s National Labs to Play Critical Role in Advancing AI 

Jennifer Gaudioso, director of the Sandia National Laboratory’s Center for Computing Research recently highlighted the important role the Department of Energy’s (DoE) national labs will play in accelerating computing capacity and advancing the development of artificial intelligence systems.

Gaudioso stressed the significance of constructing AI systems using data sources more sophisticated than those relied upon for systems like ChatGPT, which primarily utilize internet-based data. 

This entails incorporating government datasets into the development process.

“What I get really excited about is the transformative potential of training models on science data. We can then do new manufacturing. We can make digital twins of the human body to take drug discovery from decades down to months. Maybe 100 days for the next vaccine,” Gaudioso said during a Joint Economic Committee hearing on AI and economic growth.

Gaudioso shared that the ongoing efforts of national labs in AI encompass various areas such as AI applications in nuclear deterrence, national security, non-proliferation, and cutting-edge science and technology.

Last month, a summary report released by the DoE examined AI’s potential benefits and risks for critical energy infrastructure. 

This coincides with the White House announcement of Federal agencies completing their 180-day actions mandated in the October AI executive order and is in line with the Biden-Harris administration's strategy for harnessing AI's benefits and ensuring its responsible deployment.