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Energy Department announces $4 million for High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $4 million for new projects to support manufacturers in improving energy efficiency, increasing productivity and accelerating manufacturing innovation. The High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI) Initiative, managed by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), is seeking qualified industry partners to work collaboratively with DOE’s National Laboratories on projects that use high performance computing (HPC) to solve key technical challenges in the areas of manufacturing and mobility.

HPC4EI, the umbrella initiative for HPC for Manufacturing, HPC for Materials, and HPC for Mobility, is made up of nine labs led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The labs partner with the private sector to utilize DOE’s supercomputing capabilities and advanced simulation and data analytics techniques to improve manufacturing processes and develop better products. HPC4EI is funded by EERE and DOE's Office of Fossil Energy. Under EERE, the Advanced Manufacturing Office, Vehicle Technologies Office, and Building Technologies Office sponsor the initiative.

The funding opportunity announced today will focus on two areas:

HPC for Manufacturing

High performance computing for manufacturing aims to advance innovative clean energy technologies, reduce energy and resource consumption and infuse advanced computing expertise and technology into the manufacturing industry. The program seeks proposals that require HPC modeling and simulation to overcome impactful manufacturing process challenges resulting in reduced energy consumption and/or increased productivity.

HPC for Materials

High performance computing for materials aims to enhance the U.S. materials-development, fabrication and manufacturing industries, and to investigate, improve and scale methods that will accelerate the development and deployment of materials that perform well in severe and complex energy application environments. The program seeks proposals that will address key challenges in developing, modifying and/or qualifying new or modified materials using HPC modeling, simulation and data analysis.

Eligibility for HPC4EI is limited to entities that manufacture products or operate systems in the United States. Selected projects will be awarded up to $300,000 to support computer cycles and work performed by the national laboratory partners. The industry partner must provide a participant contribution of at least 20 percent of the funding for the project. Partners that have been previously funded under HPC4EI must provide at least 33.3 percent of the funding for the project. Since its inception in 2015, HPC4EI has funded 90 projects, with more than 40 companies represented in the $34 million portfolio.

Learn more about the solicitation and register to attend an informational webinar on Nov. 13 or Nov. 21. Concept papers are due Dec. 10.