OpenAI partners with U.S. National Laboratories to revolutionize scientific research, national security
OpenAI has revealed a groundbreaking partnership with the United States National Laboratories, aimed at supercharging scientific research using the company’s most advanced reasoning models.
U.S. National Laboratories is a system of 17 national labs overseen by the U.S. Department of Energy, which says on its website, “An outgrowth of immense investment in scientific research initiated by the U.S. Government during World War II, the National Laboratories have served as the leading institutions for scientific innovation in the United States for more than seventy years. The Energy Department’s 17 National Labs tackle the critical scientific challenges of our time — from combating climate change to discovering the origins of our universe — and possess unique instruments and facilities, many of which are found nowhere else in the world.”
According to OpenAI, the collaboration with the National Laboratories aligns with its mission to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI) for the benefit of humanity.
We are proud to announce that OpenAI has signed an agreement with the U.S. National Laboratories to supercharge their scientific research using our latest reasoning models.
Sharing our technology with the nation’s top scientists aligns with our mission of building artificial…
— OpenAI Newsroom (@OpenAINewsroom) January 30, 2025
The company behind ChatGPT stated in its announcement posted in the Newsroom on its website that it believes the US government is a critical partner in achieving this vision and the agreement continues a well-established practice of the US government working alongside private industry to ensure that technological advancements result in significant progress in areas like energy, healthcare and other vital sectors.
The pioneering AI company appeared to taunt Chinese AI startup DeepSeek in the announcement by saying, “It also reflects our ongoing commitment to empowering leading developers to safely leverage our models–transforming data into intelligence and intelligence into solutions, breakthroughs and discoveries.”
According to several news reports, DeepSeek might have accessed data from OpenAI models improperly, with the former investigating the latter’s improper obtainment of the data. Both OpenAI and Microsoft, which is an OpenAI investor, are reportedly looking into the matter.
As part of the partnership with the national labs, which hosts approx. 15,000 scientists, OpenAI, in collaboration with Microsoft, will deploy its advanced o1 or a different o-series model on state-of-the-art NVIDIA AI supercomputer Venado, which was installed at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico in April 2024. Venado, designed to accelerate breakthroughs in astrophysics, renewable energy, materials science and other disciplines, serves as a shared resource for researchers from Sandia National Laboratories, Lawrence Livermore as well as Los Alamos.
The company led by Sam Altman outlined several high-impact areas where its technology will be utilized:
- Advancing Basic Science: The company stated that its models will accelerate foundational research, reinforcing US leadership in global technological innovation.
- Healthcare Breakthroughs: OpenAI noted that researchers will explore new approaches to disease prevention and treatment, potentially revolutionizing medical science.
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection: The company highlighted that enhanced AI capabilities will bolster efforts to safeguard the American power grid and defend against cyber threats.
- Energy Leadership: OpenAI emphasized that the collaboration aims to unlock the full potential of natural resources and transform the nation’s energy infrastructure.
- Threat Detection: The company stated that improved detection of both natural and man-made threats, including biological and cyber risks, will enhance national security.
- Fundamental Science: OpenAI added that the partnership will deepen our understanding of the universe, from high-energy physics to fundamental mathematics.
The company said that since the national labs also play a pivotal role in nuclear security, working to reduce the risk of nuclear war and secure nuclear weapons and materials globally — a “highly consequential” “use case,” it believes it is crucial for the company to support it for national security. OpenAI confirmed that its partnership will support the efforts with careful oversight of use cases and consultations on AI safety from its researchers holding security clearances. The company noted that this collaboration builds on previous work with Los Alamos National Laboratory, where OpenAI assessed risks associated with advanced AI models in bioweapons development. OpenAI anticipates that the partnership will expand into broader safety initiatives addressing CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear) risks.
OpenAI described the collaboration with the National Laboratories as the beginning of a new era in which AI will play a central role in advancing science, strengthening national security and supporting government initiatives. The company also highlighted the importance of its ongoing relationship with Microsoft, which provides the AI compute infrastructure necessary to power these ambitious projects.
The ChatGPT company expressed gratitude to the leaders of the National Laboratories and government officials for their trust and support, also acknowledging Microsoft’s role as a key partner in making these advancements possible.
“We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to be part of this transformation, and we extend our thanks to the leaders of the National Labs and government officials for placing their trust in us, and to Microsoft for our enduring partnership that helped make these advances possible,” said OpenAI in the announcement.
Featured photo is in public domain and shows a dramatic New Mexico sky reflected in the curved mirrors of the parabolic trough. The photo by the Department of Energy has a description that says “Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a method of using concentrated sunlight to detoxify water. The method uses a trough of parabolic mirrors to focus energy on a long glass tube. Contaminated water and titanium dioxide is then pumped through the tube and into a receiving tank. The titanium dioxide acts as a catalyst, speeding up the reaction of the water with ultraviolet energy in sunlight. Free electrons create positively charged “holes” in the catalyst, which in turn react with dissolved oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, or water to create hydroxyl radicals and peroxide ions. These two highly reactive oxides attack the organics, breaking them into environmentally safe components.”
