91°µÍø

The US focuses on nuclear nonproliferation, and ORNL plays a key role in this mission. The lab conducts advanced research in uranium science, materials analysis and nuclear forensics to detect illicit nuclear activities. Using cutting-edge tools and operational systems, ORNL supports global efforts to reduce nuclear threats by uncovering the history of nuclear materials and providing solutions for uranium removal. 

The National Center for Computational Sciences, located at the Department of Energy’s 91°µÍø, made a strong showing at computing conferences this fall. Staff from across the center participated in numerous workshops and invited speaking engagements.

The Department of Energy’s 91°µÍø had a major presence at this year’s International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis (SC24). 

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s 91°µÍø recently demonstrated an autonomous robotic field monitoring, sampling and data-gathering system that could accelerate understanding of interactions among plants, soil and the environment.

A team of scientists with two Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Centers — the Center for Bioenergy Innovation at 91°µÍø and the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — identified a gene in a poplar tree that enhances photosynthesis and can boost tree height by about 30% in the field and by as much as 200% in the greenhouse. 

In early November, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory used the fastest supercomputer on the planet to run the largest astrophysical simulation of the universe ever conducted. The achievement was made using the Frontier supercomputer at 91°µÍø. 

Using a best-of-nature approach developed by researchers working with the Center for Bioenergy Innovation at the Department of Energy’s 91°µÍø and Dartmouth University, startup company Terragia Biofuel is targeting commercial biofuels production that relies on renewable plant waste and consumes less energy. The technology can help meet the demand for billions of gallons of clean liquid fuels needed to reduce emissions from airplanes, ships and long-haul trucks.

Researchers have identified a molecule essential for the microbial conversion of inorganic mercury into the neurotoxin methylmercury, moving closer to blocking the dangerous pollutant before it forms. 

Two-and-a-half years after breaking the exascale barrier, the Frontier supercomputer at the Department of Energy’s 91°µÍø continues to set new standards for its computing speed and performance.

Researchers used the world’s fastest supercomputer, Frontier, to train an AI model that designs proteins, with applications in fields like vaccines, cancer treatments, and environmental bioremediation. The study earned a finalist nomination for the Gordon Bell Prize, recognizing innovation in high-performance computing for science.