1.5

exaflops 

Peak performance

of Frontier

10+ 

AI-related

patents

300+ 

ORNL staff actively

using AI/machine

learning

2023 

Frontier moves to

full operations

Artificial Intelligence for 

Science and National Security

OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has a rich tradition of AI research, which dates back 

more than 40 years and has garnered more than 10 patents. The laboratory’s AI Initiative is 

dedicated to ensuring safe, trustworthy, and energy efficient AI in the service of scientific 

research and national security.

Through this internal research investment, subject matter experts at ORNL leverage the 

laboratory’s computing infrastructure and software capabilities to expedite time-to-solution 

and realize the potential of AI in projects of national and strategic importance. 

For example, the Initiative has helped multidisciplinary teams demonstrate that machine 

learning algorithms can be used to extract information from signals with low signal-tonoise ratios, develop algorithms capable of accelerating modeling and simulation with very 

little training data, and design novel biomimetic neuromorphic devices that can detect 

epileptic seizures.

Frontier was the world’s first exascale system when it came online for early

users in 2022.

“Oak Ridge National Laboratory uniquely has the expertise and facilities 

to advance the state of the art in AI and apply it to DOE’s most pressing 

scientific challenges.”

 —AI Program Director, Prasanna Balaprakash 
Safe, Trustworthy, and Energy Efficient 

The AI initiative is underpinned by two cornerstone elements: application-centric endeavors and cross-disciplinary foundational frameworks. 

The application-centric component is designed to leverage AI in three domains: scientific discovery, experimental facilities, and national 

security. The cross-disciplinary foundational framework seeks to ensure that AI systems are secure, trustworthy, and energy-efficient. 

The security dimension covers aspects such as alignment with scientific goals, cybersecurity measures, and robustness against failures. 

Trustworthiness is ensured through rigorous validation and verification processes, uncertainty quantification, and causal reasoning 

methodologies. And energy efficiency is achieved through scalable solutions, edge computing, and a co-design approach that optimizes 

both software and hardware resources.

Expertise and Outreach

ORNL’s foundations in computing and data science enable researchers to accelerate data analytics, create novel workflows, and expedite 

outcomes via modeling and simulation. The laboratory, a recognized leader in algorithm and application development, has research groups 

dedicated to machine learning, AI, and neuromorphic computing as well as several groups dedicated to high-performance computing. A 

series of strategic hires is further expanding this expertise. ORNL shares numerous faculty with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and 

the two institutions launched the Bredesen Center’s Data Science and Engineering PhD program to educate future data scientists working 

to solve a range of problems that stand to benefit from the advancement of AI. ORNL also maintains key partnerships with industry leaders, 

including NVIDIA, IBM, and Google. 

Data and Infrastructure

ORNL is home to state-of-the art instruments within some of the world’s most advanced scientific facilities, including the National 

Transportation Research Center and the Spallation Neutron Source. These facilities generate large, unique scientific datasets perfectly suited 

for the AI analysis conducted with the help of Frontier—the world’s first exascale supercomputer—and other computing resources located 

at the laboratory’s Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility. ORNL also offers data resources and analytics for AI applications through the 

Compute and Data Environment for Science. 

CONTACT:

Prasanna Balaprakash

Director

Artificial Intelligence Program

pbalapra@ornl.gov, 

865-576-9087

One Bethel Valley Road, 

Oak Ridge, TN 37830

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by UT-Battelle LLC for the US Department of Energy October 2023

ORNL is integrating AI

across the four discovery 

paradigms of theory, 

experiment, modeling and 

simulation, and big data.

www.ornl.gov