High Performance Computing and Artificial Intelligence among the Department of Energy’s Notable Achievements of 2018

The Department of Energy (DOE) recently released its year in review document, highlighting notable achievements made over the last year. In a note to DOE employees, DOE Secretary Rick Perry said:

“Thanks to remarkable innovation in our National Laboratories and across the enterprise, it was a spectacular year for DOE and its mission. In 2018, America reclaimed the distinction of having the world’s two fastest supercomputers, the United States has become the world’s leading producer of oil as well as natural gas -- exporting our LNG to 32 countries on five continents -- and we remain a world leader in using energy more cleanly and more efficiently. From fossil fuels to nuclear, wind and solar to hydro and battery storage, our 'all-of-the-above' strategy is advancing our energy security, propelling our prosperity, and strengthening our national security.”

Two offices that achieved numerous accomplishments were the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and the Office of Science (SC). At the EERE, energy conservation regulatory reforms brought in a savings of roughly $300 million. These reforms included:

• Grid Integration of Renewables: which sought to increase the resiliency of solar generated electricity.
• Expanding the Renewables Workforce: which sought to lower electricity costs and expand the workforce expansion through various training programs, including targeted programs for veterans and transitioning military personnel.
• The Water Security Grand Challenge: a White House-initiated, DOE-led framework to advance transformational technologies to meet the global need for clean, abundant and affordable water.
• The Sustainability in Manufacturing Partnership: an initiative to help drive manufacturing productivity improvements.

At SC, two teams of DOE researcher were awarded the prestigious Gordon Bell Prize for the world’s most outstanding high-performance computing application with the Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Sierrasupercomputer at Livermore National Laboratory. This succeeding in solidifying the U.S.’s status as a preeminent global competitor in the world of supercomputing.

SC also made leaps and bounds in advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing. The national labs’ new supercomputers are currently the most AI-capable devices in the world but SC is striving to continue pushing the boundaries by developing three new AI-capable exascale machines.

To view the full report, click here: https://www.energy.gov/department-energy-year-review-2018