NSF-led National AI Research Resource Pilot Awards First Round Access To 35 Projects
Science & Tech
The NAIRR Pilot will provide AI researchers and students access to key AI resources and data.
Twenty-seven projects will be supported through resources on NSF-funded advanced computing systems, including Delta at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Frontera and Lonestar at the Texas Advanced Computing Center at The University of Texas at Austin; and the Neocortex system at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, a joint center of Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. An additional eight projects will have access to DOE-supported systems, including the Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the AI Testbed at Argonne National Laboratory.
Projects granted computing allocations in this initial round encompass a diverse range of AI-related areas, including investigations into language model safety and security, privacy and federated models, and privacy-preserving synthetic data generation. Other projects also focus on domain-specific research, such as using AI and satellite imagery to map permafrost disturbances, developing a foundation model for aquatic sciences, securing medical imaging data and using AI for agricultural pest identification.
In tandem with the announcement of initial awards, the NAIRR Pilot opened the next opportunity for researchers and educators to apply for access to resources that support AI research, including advanced computing systems; cloud computing platforms; access to foundation models, software and privacy enhancing technology tools, collaborations to train models; and education platforms. This opportunity includes cutting-edge resources contributed by the pilot's nongovernmental partners, including Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, NVIDIA, SambaNova Systems, Cerebras, OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, EleutherAI, OpenMined, Hugging Face and Vocareum.
In addition, the research community will have the opportunity to access resources from additional NSF advanced computing platforms at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, the National Center for Supercomputer Applications at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the San Diego Supercomputer Center at the University of California San Diego and the Texas Advanced Computing Center at The University of Texas at Austin, as well as systems at Purdue University, Indiana University and Texas A&M University.
The second opportunity also seeks to connect educators and instructors in universities to computing, data, and software resources that will enable them to train their students through hands-on projects and exercises.
Researchers and educators can apply for access to these resources and view descriptions of the first cohort projects beginning May 6, 2024.
The NAIRR Pilot embodies a commitment to diversity and collaboration, recognizing that the strength of the U.S. AI ecosystem depends on having a research and education community which reflects the diversity of our nation. By fostering a strong and responsible AI research ecosystem, the pilot aims to empower a wide range of perspectives and technical directions from researchers and educators from U.S. institutions, including those from underrepresented groups, nonprofits and small businesses.