The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $3 million to connect industry partners with U.S. National Laboratory high-performance computing (HPC) resources that will accelerate the development of breakthrough manufacturing and clean energy technologies. As part of DOE’s latest High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI) solicitation, selected teams will apply advanced modeling, simulation, and data analysis to projects that improve manufacturing efficiency and explore new materials for clean energy application.

“Our National Laboratories are home to the most sophisticated high-performance computing technologies in the world,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Kelly Speakes-Backman. “Capable of making one quintillion calculations per second, these supercomputers will arm us with the information we need to reduce carbon emissions across U.S. industries and fight the climate crisis right here at home.”

The HPC4EI initiative solicitation will fund projects in DOE’s HPC for Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg) and HPC for Materials in Applied Energy Technologies (HPC4Mtls) programs.

The HPC4Mfg program seeks manufacturing partners interested in harnessing HPC resources to lower emissions across America’s industries and improve the efficiency and productivity of U.S. manufacturing. Specific areas of interest include:  

  • Reductions in CO2 or CO2-equivalent emissions through electrification, improved carbon-capturing processes, and the integration of low-to-zero carbon fuels
  • Improvements in manufacturing processes that result in significant national energy savings and carbon emissions 
  • Improvements in the lifecycle energy consumption and carbon emissions reduction of products of interest 
  • Efficiency improvements and carbon emissions reduction in energy conversion and storage technologies

The HPC4Mtls program seeks industry partners looking to apply HPC-based solutions to bolster the domestic materials supply chain needed for fossil energy applications, including reduced material costs or improved carbon capture for power plants or clean hydrogen. Specific areas of interest include:

  • Advanced Structural Materials for Hydrogen Applications
  • Advanced Structural Materials for Fossil Energy Applications
  • Advanced Functional Materials for Hydrogen Applications

The HPC4EI solicitation will encourage applicants to partner with a diverse range of universities, community colleges, and non-profit organizations, especially those located in disadvantaged communities. This focus ensures the equitable use and benefits of HPC national laboratory resources and technologies.

DOE will award up to $300,000 to selected projects to support computing cycles and work performed by DOE National Laboratories, universities, and non-profit partners. All DOE National Laboratories are eligible to participate. The industry partner must provide a participant contribution of at least 20% of the total project funding. View the solicitation here.

HPC4Mfg is funded by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office. HPC4Mtls is funded by the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. To learn more, visit the HPC4EI website and register to attend an information webinar on November 30 or December 8, 2021.