NSF to Launch $100M AI-Programmable Cloud Lab Network

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is investing up to $100 million to create a nationwide network of AI-enabled “programmable cloud laboratories” that will accelerate automated science and engineering.

The NSF PCL Test Bed will allow researchers to remotely design and run AI-powered experiments, with an initial focus on biotechnology and materials science. These labs will use AI to optimize experiments from start to finish — from predicting outcomes and reducing trial-and-error to adjusting conditions in real time and speeding up data analysis.

The program, a key part of the White House AI Action Plan, will also support education and training by making advanced labs available in classrooms. NSF expects to fund up to six projects, each worth up to $5 million annually over four years.

This initiative builds on NSF’s history of transformative infrastructure investments, aiming to strengthen U.S. leadership in science, technology, and innovation.

Read the full NSF announcement at: https://www.nsf.gov/news/nsf-invest-new-national-network-ai-programmable-cloud?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery#image-caption-credit-block

Top image photo credit : U.S. National Science Foundation