The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) had a strong presence at the recently held SC25 conference in St. Louis, hosting DOE Undersecretary of Science Dario Gil. As the high-performance computing community convened, Gil discussed the future of AI in his fireside chat "Accelerating Discovery: Building the AI Ecosystem for the Future of Science," highlighting the critical need for AI investment, according to a report by ORNL.
According to the ORNL report, Deb Gracio, Director of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, joined Gil at the DOE booth, conversing on strengthening AI's role in scientific progress amid a bustling crowd of inventors and thinkers at SC25. The DOE efforts emphasize propelling the United States to the forefront of the AI evolution.
The spotlight at the DOE booth also shone on ORNL's Quantum Science Center Director Travis Humble, who discussed the synergy between quantum computers and current high-performance computing systems. In his talk about propelling computational innovation, Humble said, "SC25 clearly showcased the rapidly developing connections between quantum computers, which are seen to be accelerating their development, with the broader field of HPC, especially AI-driven systems." His insights into this dynamic relationship point to a future where these complex technologies become more intertwined and essential to advancing computational research and applications.
Highlighting innovation at SC25, ORNL's additive manufacturing researcher Stephen Dewitt captured attention with his work on an AI-driven process. Dewitt shared, "Supercomputing is a unique event that brings together the whole computing community.” Adding that it was the perfect venue for learning and partnership in autonomous science applications, Dewitt revealed an artificial intelligence agent his team is developing, which makes decisions autonomously as parts are manufactured. His presentation effectively emphasized the emerging role of agentic AI in advanced manufacturing in a statement obtained by ORNL News.
The convergence of quantum computing, AI, and HPC was a central theme throughout SC25, indicating a collaborative trajectory that will likely shape the next evolution of scientific computing. ORNL, among other national labs, continues to be at the forefront of these discussions, showcasing groundbreaking research and earning recognition, such as the Best Paper award, which further cements its position as a leader in the computing community.
