WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $13 million in funding for five research projects in artificial intelligence (AI) aimed at improving AI as a tool of scientific investigation and prediction. The projects involve scientists at nine research institutions, including both DOE national laboratories and universities.   

“Artificial intelligence, including machine learning, provides an extremely powerful way of tackling the most pressing issues facing our scientists today,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. “This research will help us adapt AI to the specific scientific challenges that DOE-supported scientists are addressing today and in the process help sustain U.S. leadership in this critical and growing field.”

Of the $13 million, $11.1 million is reserved for two three-year projects focused on the development of new AI algorithms and software adapted to specific scientific problems. One key challenge is adapting AI software to emerging computer architectures as new, more powerful computers become available.

Scientific topics will include chemistry, cybersecurity, power grid, environment, and neuroscience, among others. 

A further $1.9 million is for three two-year projects aimed at improving reliability of predictions from AI and machine learning models through the application of mathematical and statistical techniques of uncertainty quantification.

This year’s awards were selected by competitive peer review under the DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement and companion DOE national laboratory program announcement for Scientific Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence: Uncertainty Quantification, and the DOE national laboratory program announcement for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Analytics CoDesign

Total funding is $13 million in Fiscal Year 2019 dollars. A list of projects can be found here under the heading “What’s New.”