The agency called the experiment, which was conducted in collaboration with two national labs, two vendors and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a “milestone test case.”
From left, Paige Lambermont, research fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Marsden Hanna, head of energy and sustainability policy for Google, and Eric Masanet, UC Santa Barbara professor testify during the House Science and Technology Committee Investigations and Oversight Subcomittee hearing on “Powering America’s AI Future: Assessing Policy Options to Increase Data Center Infrastructure” in the Rayburn House Office Building on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The Energy Department’s Oak Ridge National Lab launched an institute to optimize data centers, and the Pacific Northwest National Lab issued an RFI to inform future buildouts.
The U.S. Department of Energy building is seen behind a sign marking the location of the agency’s headquarters on March 18, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by J.David Ake/Getty Images)
The agency seeks information on how the consortium can fuel “self-improving” models that pull in scientific data from national laboratories and provide access to other partners.
The US Department of Energy building is seen in Washington, DC, on July 22, 2019. (Photo by Alastair Pike / AFP) (Photo by ALASTAIR PIKE/AFP via Getty Images)
Energy Secretary Chris Wright testifies at a House subcommittee hearing on the department’s budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 7, 2025. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
The White House budget proposal calls for $2.75 billion in cuts to the national laboratories, but Chris Wright told senators he’s “very open” to expanding the budget…
Energy Secretary Chris Wright speaks during a House subcommittee hearing on the department’s budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 7, 2025. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Leveraging computing power at DOE national labs and increasing nuclear and coal capacity to power data centers is part of Chris Wright’s vision for leading on AI.
Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., speaks at the rally at the U.S. Capitol on April 10, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Fair Share America)
DOE’s national labs play a big role in the TEST AI Act, which would establish a testbed pilot to develop and refine measurement standards used to assess…
David Turk, deputy secretary of the Department of Energy, testifies during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on federal electric vehicle incentives on Jan. 11, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)
Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., talk outside the Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on April 7, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)