Department of Energy Announces New Solicitation for the High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation Initiative

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced nearly $5.2 million for a new solicitation under the High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI) Initiative, the umbrella program for the HPC4Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg), HPC4Materials (HPC4Mtls), and HPC4Mobility programs. The new funding opportunity seeks qualified industry partners to work collaboratively with DOE’s national laboratories on projects that use High Performance Computing (HPC) to solve key technical challenges. These technical challenges include development and optimization of modeling and simulation codes, porting and scaling of applications, application of data analytics, and applied research and development of tools or methods.

There will be three areas of focus.

Area 1: HPC4Mtls

The HPC4Mtls Program is sponsored by EERE’s Fuel Cell Technologies Office and Vehicles Technologies Office to enhance the U.S. materials-development, fabrication, and manufacturing industry to investigate, improve, and scale methods that will accelerate the development of materials that perform well in severe and complex energy application environments. This solicitation is aimed at demonstrating the benefit of HPC toward these goals within one year.

The HPC4Mtls program seeks proposals that will address key challenges in developing, modifying, and/or qualifying new or modified materials that perform well in severe and complex energy application environments through the use of HPC modeling, simulation, and data analysis.

Area 2: HPC4Mfg

The HPC4Mfg Program is led by EERE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office with a focus on establishing collaborations that address key manufacturing challenges by applying modeling, simulation, and data analysis. The Office of Fossil Energy and EERE’s Vehicle Technologies Office and Building Technologies Office also sponsor select projects in this portfolio. The program aims to improve energy efficiency, increase productivity, reduce cycle time, enable next-generation technologies, test control system algorithms, investigate intensified processes, lower energy cost, and accelerate innovation.

The HPC4Mfg Program seeks projects that will use HPC modeling and simulation to overcome manufacturing process challenges resulting in reduced energy consumption and/or increased productivity.

Area 3: HPC4Mobility

The HPC4Mobility Program is sponsored by the Vehicle Technologies Office’s Energy Efficient Mobility Systems (EEMS) Program. The mission of EEMS is to conduct early stage research & development (R&D) at the vehicle, traveler, and system level, to create new knowledge, tools, and insights and technology solutions that increase mobility energy productivity for individuals and businesses. As mobility technologies continuously evolve, EEMS operates within the interface of vehicle systems and transportation systems.

The HPC4Mobility Program is interested in collaborations that address key mobility challenges in developing, modifying, and/or qualifying new or modified software, hardware, and implementation solutions that perform well in complex transportation/mobility systems in rural and metropolitan areas.

Eligibility for the HPC4Mfg and HPC4Mtls programs is limited to entities that manufacture or develop products in the United States for commercial applications and the organizations that support them. Relevant government entities are eligible to receive awards from the HPC4Mobility Program only. Selected projects and follow-on projects will be awarded up to $300,000 to support compute cycles and work performed by the national laboratory partners. The industry partner must provide a participant contribution of at least 20% of the DOE funding for the project. Selected follow-on project partners must provide at least 50% of the DOE funding for the project.

More information about the individual topics of interest for each office are available in the funding opportunity announcement. All DOE national laboratories are eligible to participate.