Today, the U.S. Department of Energy announced up to $3.75 million for new projects that use high-performance computing (HPC) to solve key challenges related to manufacturing and advanced materials development.
The High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI) initiative provides industry access to U.S. National Laboratory-based supercomputing capabilities and expertise to lower the risk of HPC adoption and broaden its use. Through this funding opportunity, the HPC4EI initiative seeks qualified industry partners to apply advanced modeling, simulation, and data analysis to accelerate innovation for next-generation technologies.
The High Performance Computing for Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg) program is interested in establishing collaborations that address energy-related challenges for domestic manufacturers, including:
- Manufacturing process improvements that result in significant national energy savings
- Decreased lifecycle energy consumption of products of interest, such as improved jet engine efficiency, lightweighting for transport technologies, increased semiconductor electrical efficiency, and industrial waste recycling and reuse
- Increased efficiency for energy conversion and storage technologies
The High Performance Computing for Materials (HPC4Mtls) program seeks industry partnerships to address challenges in developing, modifying, and/or qualifying new or modified materials that perform well in severe or complex environments, involving:
- Projects related to the materials supply chain for fossil energy applications, including those that seek to reduce production cost, improve high-temperature performance, overcome scale-up barriers, address material manufacturing challenges, and increase productivity
- New and existing power plant applications, such as material behavior prediction; surface treatments to mitigate oxidation, corrosion, or erosion; and artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced analysis capabilities
Selected projects will be awarded up to $300,000 to support computing cycles and work performed by DOE National Laboratories, along with universities and non-profit partners. The industry partner must provide a participant contribution of at least 20% of the total project funding. Applicants to this solicitation are highly encouraged to partner with universities and non-profit organizations located within federally designated Opportunity Zones and/or Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Eligibility for HPC4Mfg and HPC4Mtls is limited to entities that manufacture products, develop materials, or operate systems in the U.S. for commercial applications, as well as the organizations that support them. All DOE National Laboratories are eligible to participate.
Concept papers are due on January 7, 2021. Learn more about this funding opportunity and register to attend the upcoming webinars on December 3, 2020 and December 10, 2020.
HPC4Mfg is supported by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office. DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy provides funding for HPC4Materials.
For more information about the HPC4EI initiative, visit hpc4energyinnovation.llnl.gov.