ORNL is creating a smart, post-exascale ecosystem that
integrates HPC, AI, and quantum for open science and national security.
For 80 years, computing has expanded knowledge and connectivity, transforming lives and industries. Over the past generation, ORNL emerged as a global leader in computing innovation at scale— repeatedly deploying the world’s most powerful systems, pioneering the first GPU-accelerated supercomputer to help ignite today’s AI boom, and breaking the exascale barrier.
Each leap in performance has empowered scientists to improve our models of physical systems from quantum to cosmic scales, with direct impact to U.S. research and development.
How ORNL is advancing AI, HPC and quantum science
The challenge
Scientific complexity is outpacing our ability to scale capacity, power, and workforce. Traditional approaches cannot keep up with the exponential growth in computational demands.
Our goal
Create a smart post-exascale ecosystem integrating HPC, AI, and quantum for open science and national security.
How we deliver
Build an energy-efficient, digitally integrated research ecosystem that connects experimental, computational, and data assets across facilities and institutions.
Integrate
- Integrate classical and quantum computing.
- Bridge extreme-scale computation and real-time data with autonomous workflows.
Model
- Design new algorithms to improve energy performance while ensuring accuracy.
- Design AI-powered modeling and simulation strategies for digital twins.
Scale
- Create methods to curate massive datasets across facilities and programs.
- Build partnerships to leverage and extend open science and national security programs.
Global supercomputing leadership
ORNL’s Discovery and Lux supercomputers will define the future of computing by accelerating breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, materials science, energy, and national security. The exascale-class performance of Discovery and Lux’s secure, open, and efficient AI software stack will enable unprecedented simulations, data analytics, and scientific insights, reshaping innovation and global competitiveness worldwide.
The Genesis Mission and the American Science Cloud
The Genesis Mission is a national initiative led by the Department of Energy and its national laboratories to build one of the world’s most powerful scientific platforms. As the mission’s digital backbone, the American Science Cloud is led by ORNL and developed with DOE laboratories and U.S. industry partners to connect supercomputers, data, experimental facilities, and AI tools into a unified research environment.
Quantum integration
The Quantum Science Center is advancing quantum computing by
integrating algorithms, applications, and experimental validation with leadership-class high-performance computing. The new IQM, Quantum Brilliance, and NVIDIA quantum systems, alongside ORNL’s Frontier supercomputer, will accelerate hybrid quantum-HPC research through co-design, benchmarking, and scalable workflows that strengthen U.S. competitiveness and innovation.
Computing for security missions
ORNL and the Department of War established a long-term partnership to advance the frontiers of scientific and mission-focused computing in support of U.S. national security. The partnership will leverage decades of ORNL experience and capabilities in high-performance, exascale, and quantum computing as well as artificial intelligence to develop solutions for today’s missions and tomorrow’s complex challenges.