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The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is establishing the NSF National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Operations Center (NSF NAIRR-OC) to bolster the nation's AI research and scientific discovery capabilities. This center will be the operational foundation for NAIRR, a public-private initiative aimed at broadening access to advanced AI resources and expertise, thereby reinforcing American leadership in science and technology. It will coordinate resource providers, integrate various AI components, manage the NAIRR portal, and offer user support and training, all while evolving based on community feedback.
The U.S. National Science Foundation is launching the NSF National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Operations Center (NSF NAIRR-OC) to reinforce national AI research and AI-enabled discovery. This center will be the operational core of NAIRR, a public-private partnership focused on expanding access to advanced AI capabilities and expertise to maintain U.S. leadership in science and technology. Its responsibilities include coordinating participating resource providers, integrating computing, data, models, and tools, managing the national NAIRR portal, and offering comprehensive user support and training. The center will also actively gather input from the research community to continuously enhance NAIRR's offerings and oversee the crucial transition of appropriate, successful pilot functions into a sustainable, long-term national infrastructure.
The NAIRR pilot program, which commenced in 2024, has unequivocally demonstrated both the considerable demand for and the profound impact of a unified national approach to AI infrastructure. Since its inception, the pilot has successfully supported an impressive portfolio of over 800 diverse research projects, directly benefiting thousands of innovators and students across various regions of the country. Crucially, the program leveraged a novel public-private partnership model, involving more than 25 private-sector partners, including major technology leaders and non-profit organizations. This collaboration has significantly broadened access to essential AI resources, enabling a wide array of research, educational initiatives, and vital workforce development activities that might have otherwise been difficult or even impossible to pursue without such collective support. The upcoming establishment of NAIRR-OC is designed to further capitalize on this proven progress by seamlessly transforming the pilot's most successful elements into a robust and sustained national capability.
The operational leadership for the NSF NAIRR-OC will be jointly provided by two highly reputable institutions: the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at UC San Diego and the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin. These centers bring a wealth of complementary expertise and decades of invaluable experience specifically in the development and operation of national-scale research infrastructure. UC San Diego, besides hosting SDSC, plays a pivotal role in leading other significant NSF-supported initiatives, including the National Data Platform and the National Research Platform, in addition to its work with advanced computing platforms. Similarly, The University of Texas at Austin, through TACC, is slated to lead the NSF Leadership-Class Computing Facility. The combined track record of these institutions demonstrates their capacity to support millions of users, effectively coordinate efforts across various federal agencies and research organizations, and successfully manage complex, multi-year initiatives with demonstrable outcomes. This formidable collective expertise guarantees the technical prowess, strong governance, and accountability essential for operating a national resource that is not only effective today but also capable of continually evolving in response to the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence.
The NAIRR-OC will proactively collaborate and coordinate with several strategic NSF programs to significantly strengthen and expand the overarching national ecosystem for AI-enabled scientific discovery. Key among these collaborations is the NSF State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs program, which aims to localize and broaden access to critical computing resources while simultaneously cultivating the skilled workforce necessary for their effective utilization. Furthermore, the center will integrate with the NSF Integrated Data Systems and Services (IDSS) program, a crucial initiative dedicated to supporting national-scale data infrastructure specifically designed for AI-driven research. Lastly, it will work closely with the NSF Unlocking Dataset Value for AI-Enabled Scientific Discovery initiative, a program focused on enhancing the inherent value of existing scientific datasets and enabling novel AI-driven insights, fostering interdisciplinary research, and catalyzing new investigations. By strategically connecting these disparate yet complementary regional resources, national data systems, and specialized scientific datasets with the expansive capabilities offered through NAIRR, the operations center is poised to create a more integrated, resilient, and powerful national environment. This robust public-private partnership model, involving both federal and private-sector resource providers, is designed to empower a broader spectrum of researchers and institutions nationwide to actively contribute to AI innovation, tackle intricate national challenges, and efficiently translate groundbreaking discoveries into tangible benefits for the entire nation.