The Energy Department has issued a request for proposals on a potential $1.8 billion effort to build at least two exascale computing machines for national laboratories within the 2021-2023 time frame.
DOE said Monday it seeks new supercomputers for installation at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.
The solicitation is a result of the department’s Collaboration of Oak Ridge, Argonne and Livermore initiative, or CORAL.
DOE noted the upcoming projects will come after the development of ANL’s Aurora system, which is scheduled to go live in 2021, and that it may also call for upgrades or a follow-on system to Aurora in the 2022-2023 time frame.
The new systems will be designed to help researchers identify next-generation materials, decipher high-energy physics data, identify approaches to treat cancer, accelerate industrial product design and evaluate nuclear security options.
A Battelle-University of Tennessee joint venture will help DOE manage the RFP process.
