```

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9671 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9671

To provide guidance for and investment in the research and development 
activities of artificial intelligence at the Department of Energy, and 
                          for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 18, 2024

Mr. Williams of New York (for himself and Ms. Bonamici) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, 
                             and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To provide guidance for and investment in the research and development 
activities of artificial intelligence at the Department of Energy, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Department of Energy Artificial 
Intelligence Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Title LV of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry 
National Defense Authorization Act of 2021 (Public Law 116-283) is 
amended to read as follows:

   ``TITLE LV--DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH 
                                PROGRAM

``Sec. 5501. Department of Energy artificial intelligence research 
                            program.
``Sec. 5502. Ensuring energy security for data centers and computing 
                            resources.

``SEC. 5501. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH 
              PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out a cross-cutting 
research and development program to advance artificial intelligence 
tools, systems, capabilities, and workforce needs and develop 
artificial intelligence capabilities for the purposes of advancing the 
missions of the Department (in this section referred to as the 
`program'). In carrying out such program, the Secretary shall 
coordinate across all relevant offices and programs of the Department, 
including the Office of Science, the Office of Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy, the Office of Nuclear Energy, the Office of Fossil 
Energy, the Office of Electricity, the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy 
Security, Emergency Response, and the Advanced Research Projects 
Agency-Energy.
    ``(b) Research Areas.--In carrying out the program, the Secretary 
shall award financial assistance to eligible entities to carry out 
research projects on topics including the following:
            ``(1) The application of artificial intelligence systems to 
        improve large-scale simulations of natural and other phenomena.
            ``(2) The study of applied mathematics, computer science, 
        and statistics, including foundations of methods and systems of 
        artificial intelligence, causal and statistical inference, and 
        the development of algorithms for artificial intelligence 
        systems.
            ``(3) The analysis of existing and new large-scale datasets 
        from science and engineering experiments and simulations, 
        including energy simulations and sponsored research activities, 
        and, as determined by the Secretary, other priorities of the 
        Department that utilize artificial intelligence tools and 
        techniques.
            ``(4) The development of operation and control systems that 
        enhance automated, intelligent decision-making capabilities.
            ``(5) The development of advanced computing hardware and 
        computer architecture tailored to artificial intelligence 
        systems, including the following:
                    ``(A) The codesign of software and computational 
                hardware.
                    ``(B) Energy-efficient computing hardware and 
                algorithms for artificial intelligence training and 
                inference.
                    ``(C) Mechanisms to improve the energy efficiency 
                of data centers, including relevant energy efficiency 
                benchmarks for such centers.
            ``(6) The aggregation, curation, and distribution of 
        standardized datasets for emerging artificial intelligence 
        research fields and applications, including methods for 
        addressing data scarcity.
            ``(7) The development of advanced artificial intelligence 
        systems for pressing scientific, energy, and national security 
        applications.
            ``(8) The development of trustworthy artificial 
        intelligence systems, including the following:
                    ``(A) Algorithmic explainability.
                    ``(B) Analytical methods for identifying and 
                mitigating bias in artificial intelligence systems.
                    ``(C) Safety and robustness, including assurance, 
                verification, validation, security, and control.
    ``(c) Technology Transfer.--In carrying out the program, the 
Secretary shall support technology transfer of artificial intelligence 
systems for the benefit of society and United States economic 
competitiveness.
    ``(d) Facility Use and Upgrades.--In carrying out the program, the 
Secretary shall carry out the following:
            ``(1) Make available high-performance computing 
        infrastructure at National Laboratories for the development and 
        use of advanced artificial intelligence systems.
            ``(2) Make any upgrades necessary to enhance the use of 
        existing computing facilities for artificial intelligence 
        systems, including upgrades to hardware and other resources 
        necessary for developing, training, and evaluating advanced 
        artificial intelligence technologies.
            ``(3) Establish new computing capabilities necessary to 
        manage data and conduct high performance computing that enables 
        the development and use of advanced artificial intelligence 
        systems.
            ``(4) Maintain and improve, as needed, networking 
        infrastructure, data input and output mechanisms, and data 
        analysis, storage, and service capabilities.
            ``(5) Facilitate the development of unclassified and 
        classified high-performance computing systems and artificial 
        intelligence platforms through Department-owned infrastructure 
        data and computing facilities.
            ``(6) Provide other resources necessary for the Department 
        to develop, train, and evaluate advanced artificial 
        intelligence systems and related technologies;
    ``(e) Testbeds for Next-Generation Computing Platforms and 
Infrastructure.--
            ``(1) In general.--In carrying out the program, the 
        Secretary shall establish at least one data center testbed for 
        the development and assessment of hardware and algorithms for 
        energy-efficient and energy-flexible artificial intelligence 
        training and inference.
            ``(2) Activities.--In carrying out the testbed established 
        under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall carry out the 
        following:
                    ``(A) Test and evaluate new software, hardware, 
                codesign of hardware and software, algorithms, 
                networking, and other artificial intelligence-based 
                technologies and applications to improve energy 
                efficiency across the artificial intelligence 
                ecosystem.
                    ``(B) Carry out cooperative research projects with 
                industry, including end user companies, hardware 
                systems vendors, artificial intelligence developers, 
                data center developers and operators, energy utilities, 
                and other appropriate stakeholders.
    ``(f) Aggregation, Curation, and Distribution of Artificial 
Intelligence Training Datasets.--In carrying out activities described 
in subsection (b)(6), the Secretary shall develop methods, platforms, 
protocols, and other tools required for efficient, responsible, and 
effective aggregation, generation, curation, and distribution of 
artificial intelligence training and inference datasets, including the 
following:
            ``(1) Assembling, aggregating, and curating large-scale 
        training data for advanced artificial intelligence systems, 
        including outputs from research programs of the Department and 
        other open science data, with the goal of developing 
        comprehensive scientific artificial intelligence training 
        databases and testing and validation data.
            ``(2) Developing dataset documentation and metadata 
        protocols and visualization tools, taking into account 
        appropriate standards and guidelines to promote 
        interoperability and consistency in documentation.
            ``(3) Developing and implementing appropriate data 
        management plans for the ethical, responsible, and secure use 
        of classified and unclassified scientific data.
            ``(4) Identifying, curating, and safely distributing, as 
        appropriate based on the application, the following:
                    ``(A) Scientific and experimental departmental 
                datasets.
                    ``(B) Sponsored research activities that are needed 
                for the training of foundational and adapted downstream 
                artificial intelligence systems.
            ``(5) Partnering with stakeholders to curate critical 
        datasets that reside outside the Department but are determined 
        by the Secretary to be critical to optimizing the capabilities 
        of advanced artificial intelligence systems relevant to the 
        missions of the Department.
    ``(g) Development of Advanced Artificial Intelligence Systems for 
Pressing Scientific, Energy, and National Security Applications.--In 
carrying out subsection (b)(7), the Secretary shall carry out the 
following:
            ``(1) Develop innovative concepts in applied mathematics, 
        computer science, engineering, and other science disciplines 
        needed for advanced artificial intelligence systems.
            ``(2) Develop best-in-class advanced artificial 
        intelligence systems, model derivatives that support downstream 
        use cases, and other technologies to solve pressing scientific, 
        energy, and national security challenges.
            ``(3) Carry out cooperative research projects with 
        industry, including end user companies, hardware systems 
        vendors, and artificial intelligence software companies, to 
        advance artificial intelligence technologies relevant to the 
        missions of the Department and mitigate risks associated with 
        such technologies.
            ``(4) In coordination with the Secretary of Commerce and 
        the Secretary of Homeland Security, research counter-
        adversarial artificial intelligence solutions to predict, 
        prevent, mitigate, and respond to threats to critical 
        infrastructure, energy security, and nuclear nonproliferation, 
        and biological and chemical threats.
            ``(5) In coordination with energy utilities, State energy 
        offices, data center developers and operators, and other key 
        stakeholders the Secretary determines appropriate, carry out 
        research to examine how artificial intelligence technologies 
        may be impacted by or applied to energy supply bottlenecks, 
        energy demand projections, site reliability challenges, and 
        data center operational flexibilities.
            ``(6) Establish crosscutting research efforts to understand 
        and mitigate artificial intelligence-related risks, including 
        the establishment of unclassified and classified data platforms 
        across the Department.
    ``(h) Shared Resources for Artificial Intelligence.--
            ``(1) In general.--As part of the program, the Secretary 
        shall identify, support, and sustain shared resources and 
        enabling tools that have the potential to accelerate the pace 
        of scientific discovery and technological innovation with 
        respect to the missions of the Department relating to science, 
        energy, and national security.
            ``(2) Consultation.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary shall consult with relevant experts in the Federal 
        Government, industry, energy utilities, academia, State energy 
        offices, and the National Laboratories.
            ``(3) Focus.--Shared resources and enabling tools referred 
        to in paragraph (1) shall include the following:
                    ``(A) Scientific data and knowledge bases for 
                training artificial intelligence systems.
                    ``(B) Benchmarks and competitions for evaluating 
                advances in artificial intelligence systems.
                    ``(C) Platform technologies that lower the cost of 
                generating training data or enable the generation of 
                training data.
                    ``(D) High-performance computing, including hybrid 
                computing systems that integrate artificial 
                intelligence and high-performance computing.
                    ``(E) The combination of artificial intelligence 
                and scientific automation, such as cloud labs and self-
                driving labs.
                    ``(F) Tools that enable artificial intelligence to 
                solve inverse design problems.
                    ``(G) Testbeds for accelerating progress at the 
                intersection of artificial intelligence and 
                cyberphysical systems.
                    ``(H) Testbeds for testing and evaluating 
                artificial intelligence-based technologies and 
                applications to improve energy efficiency across 
                artificial intelligence systems, in accordance with 
                subsection (e).
            ``(4) Interagency coordination.--The Secretary shall ensure 
        coordination with, and avoid unnecessary duplication of, 
        activities to provide shared resources with the National 
        Science Foundation, the agencies participating in the 
        Interagency Committee established under section 5103 of this 
        Act, and the Networking and Information Technology Research and 
        Development Program authorized under section 101 of the High 
        Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5511).
    ``(i) Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes.--The Secretary 
shall support on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis not fewer than two 
multidisciplinary artificial intelligence research institutes pursuant 
to section 5201 of this Act.
    ``(j) Research To Improve Energy Permitting Processes.--In 
consultation with the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council 
established under section 41002(a) of the FAST Act (42 U.S.C. 4370m-
1(a)), the Secretary shall carry out research and development 
activities to evaluate the potential for utilizing artificial 
intelligence to improve Federal permitting processes for energy-related 
projects, including critical materials (as such term is defined in 
section 7002 of title VII of division Z of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260; 30 U.S.C. 1606)) 
projects, by building tools to improve future reviews and analyzing 
data from past environmental and other permitting reviews to inform 
more flexible and effective categorical exclusions.
    ``(k) Risk Management.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall review agency 
        policies for risk management in artificial intelligence related 
        projects and issue, as necessary, policies and principles that 
        are consistent with the framework developed under section 22A 
        of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 
        U.S.C. 278h-1(c)).
            ``(2) Taxonomy.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
        Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Defense, the 
        Director of National Intelligence, the Director of the National 
        Security Agency, and the Director of the National Institute of 
        Standards and Technology, shall develop a taxonomy of safety 
        and security risks associated with artificial intelligence 
        systems relevant to the missions of the Department.
    ``(l) Stem Education and Workforce Development.--As part of the 
program, the Secretary, in coordination with the Director of the 
National Science Foundation, may develop the required workforce, and 
hire and train researchers to meet the rising demand for artificial 
intelligence talent, including by carrying out the following:
            ``(1) Providing training, grants, and research 
        opportunities, including experiential learning experiences for 
        undergraduate and graduate students in advanced artificial 
        intelligence systems.
            ``(2) Carrying out public awareness campaigns regarding 
        artificial intelligence related career paths.
            ``(3) Assisting institutions of higher education to 
        establish new degree and certificate programs in artificial 
        intelligence-related disciplines.
    ``(m) Administration.--
            ``(1) Research security.--The activities authorized under 
        this section shall be applied in a manner consistent with 
        subtitle D of title VI of the Research and Development, 
        Competition, and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 19231 et seq.).
            ``(2) Cybersecurity.--The Secretary shall ensure the 
        integration of robust cybersecurity measures into all 
        artificial intelligence research-to-deployment efforts 
        authorized under this section to protect the integrity and 
        confidentiality of collected and analyzed data.
            ``(3) Ethical considerations.--Taking into account the 
        guidance issued pursuant to section 10343(c) of the Research 
        and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 
        19052(c)), the Secretary shall issue guidance governing the 
        ethical, safe, and responsible conduct of research activities 
        funded by the Department and performed at National Laboratories 
        and user facilities.
    ``(n) Data Privacy and Sharing.--The Secretary shall review agency 
policies for data sharing with other public and private sector 
organizations and issue, as necessary, policies and principles that are 
consistent with the standards and guidelines submitted under section 
22A of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 
U.S.C. 278h-1(e)). In addition, the Secretary shall establish a 
streamlined mechanism for approving research projects or partnerships 
that require sharing sensitive public or private data with the 
Department.
    ``(o) Partnerships.--
            ``(1) Federal partnerships.--The Secretary may request, 
        accept, and provide funds from other Federal departments and 
        agencies, State, United States territory, local, or Tribal 
        government agencies, private sector for-profit entities, and 
        nonprofit entities, to be available to the extent provided by 
        appropriations Acts, to support a research project or 
        partnership carried out under this section. The Secretary may 
        not give any special consideration to any agency or entity in 
        return for a donation.
            ``(2) Partnerships with private entities.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall seek to 
                establish partnerships with private companies and 
                nonprofit organizations in carrying out this section.
                    ``(B) Requirement.--In carrying out subparagraph 
                (A), the Secretary shall protect any information 
                submitted to or shared by the Department consistent 
                with applicable laws and regulations.
    ``(p) Stakeholder Engagement.--In carrying out the activities 
authorized in this section, the Secretary shall carry out the 
following:
            ``(1) Collaborate with a range of stakeholders, including 
        small businesses, institutes of higher education, industry, and 
        the National Laboratories.
            ``(2) Leverage the collective body of knowledge from 
        existing artificial intelligence and machine learning research.
            ``(3) Engage with other Federal departments and agencies, 
        research communities, and potential users of information 
        produced under this section.
    ``(q) Strategic Plan.--
            ``(1) In general.--In carrying out the program, the 
        Secretary shall develop a strategic plan with specific short-
        term and long-term goals and resource needs to advance 
        applications in artificial intelligence for science, energy, 
        and national security to support the missions of the 
        Department. The strategic plan shall be consistent with the 
        following:
                    ``(A) The 2023 National Laboratory workshop report 
                entitled `Advanced Research Directions on AI for 
                Science, Energy, and Security'.
                    ``(B) The 2024 National Laboratory workshop report 
                entitled `AI for Energy'.
                    ``(C) The strategic plan required under section 
                5103 of division E of this Act (15 U.S.C. 9413).
            ``(2) Report to congress.--Not later than one year after 
        the date of the enactment of this section, the Director shall 
        submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 
        the House of Representatives and the Committee of Energy and 
        Natural Resources of the Senate the strategic plan required 
        under paragraph (1), and shall notify such committees of any 
        substantial updates to such plan in subsequent years.
    ``(r) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Artificial intelligence system.--The term `artificial 
        intelligence system' has the meaning given such term in section 
        7223 of the Advancing American AI Act (40 U.S.C. 11301 note; 
        Public Law 117-263).
            ``(2) Department.--The term `Department' means the 
        Department of Energy.
            ``(3) Eligible entities.--The term `eligible entities' 
        means any of the following:
                    ``(A) An institution of higher education.
                    ``(B) A National Laboratory.
                    ``(C) A Federal research agency.
                    ``(D) A State research agency.
                    ``(E) A nonprofit research organization.
                    ``(F) A private sector entity.
                    ``(G) A consortium of two or more entities 
                described in subparagraphs (A) through (F).
            ``(4) National laboratory.--The term `National Laboratory' 
        has the meaning given such term in section 2 of the Energy 
        Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801).
            ``(5) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary 
        of Energy.
            ``(6) Testbed.--The term `testbed' means any platform, 
        facility, or environment that enables the testing and 
        evaluation of scientific theories and new technologies, 
        including hardware, software, or field environments in which 
        structured frameworks can be implemented to conduct tests to 
        assess the performance, reliability, safety, and security of a 
        wide range of items, including prototypes, systems, 
        applications, artificial intelligence systems, instruments, 
        computational tools, devices, and other technological 
        innovations.
    ``(s) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $300,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2030.

``SEC. 5502. ENSURING ENERGY SECURITY FOR DATA CENTERS AND COMPUTING 
              RESOURCES.

    ``Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
section, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that includes 
the following:
            ``(1) An assessment of the following:
                    ``(A) The growth of computing data centers and 
                advanced computing electrical power load in the United 
                States.
                    ``(B) Potential risks of growth in computing 
                centers or growth in the required electrical power to 
                United States energy security and national security.
                    ``(C) The extent to which emerging technologies, 
                such as artificial intelligence and advanced computing, 
                may impact hardware and software systems used at data 
                and computing centers.
                    ``(D) Cost, performance, reliability, availability, 
                space requirements, emissions, and supply chain issues 
                for current technologies, including renewable diesel, 
                natural gas, renewable natural gas, fuel cells, nuclear 
                energy, battery storage, enhanced geothermal, long-
                duration energy storage, and other potentially viable 
                technologies available to support regional data center 
                expansion and for backup power.
            ``(2) Recommendations for the following:
                    ``(A) Resources and capabilities that the 
                Department may provide to promote access to energy 
                resources by data centers, advanced computing hardware 
                and algorithms, and artificial intelligence systems.
                    ``(B) Policy changes to ensure domestic deployment 
                of data center and advanced computing resources to 
                prevent offshoring of United States data and resources.
                    ``(C) Improving the energy efficiency of data 
                centers, advanced computing hardware and algorithms, 
                and artificial intelligence systems.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 2(b) of 
the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act of 
2021 (Public Law 116-283) is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 5501 the following new item:

``Sec. 5502. Ensuring energy security for data centers and computing 
                            resources.''.
                                 <all>
```