Work will Harness Novel Algorithms to Advance Fusion

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a plan to provide up to $21 million to support research in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for fusion energy. 

“These awards will enable fusion researchers to take advantage of recent rapid advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning,” said Dr. Chris Fall, Director of DOE’s Office of Science. “AI and ML will help us to accelerate progress in fusion and keep American scientists at the forefront of fusion research.”

The selected awards will seek to improve operational efficiencies at Office of Science fusion facilities by automating data analysis workflows and enabling real-time control algorithms. Researchers are expected to make use of the world-leading supercomputing resources at DOE national laboratories.

Awards were selected based on competitive peer review under a DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement, along with a parallel, companion announcement for DOE laboratories.

The effort is part of DOE’s Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing program, in a joint effort of the Offices of Fusion Energy Sciences and Advanced Scientific Computing Research within the DOE’s Office of Science.

Planned funding totals $21 million for projects lasting up to three years in duration, with $8 million in Fiscal Year 2020 dollars and outyear funding contingent on congressional appropriations. 

A list of projects can be found on the FES homepage under the heading, “What’s New.”

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