The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory had a strong presence at the 2026 AI+ Expo for National Competitiveness, held May 7-9 in Washington, DC, where multiple ORNL researchers presented and demonstrated their latest research.
Sponsored by the Special Competitive Studies Project, the event brought together leaders from technology, academia, industry, and government to discuss the rapidly evolving role of artificial intelligence in advancing America’s innovation, energy resiliency, competitiveness, and national security. Featured speakers include U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, DOE Under Secretary for Science and Innovation Dario Gil, and other leaders from federal agencies, academia, and the private sector focused on AI-driven science and technology leadership.
The event also highlighted DOE’s increasing emphasis on AI as a strategic capability for scientific discovery, energy innovation, and national security, and emphasized the critical role of initiatives such as national laboratories, open science, next-generation computing infrastructure, and the Genesis mission in accelerating innovation, strengthening America’s competitiveness, and achieving a resilient energy future.
As part of a discussion panel with fellow computing leaders from other national laboratories, Gina Tourassi, associate laboratory director in the ORNL Computing and Computational Sciences Directorate, discussed the importance of collaboration toward DOE’s Genesis Mission, which aims to double the productivity and impact of America’s science, engineering, and research and development within 10 years.
“The Genesis mission reflects a bold national commitment to accelerate discovery by integrating AI, high-performance computing, advanced scientific instruments, and interdisciplinary expertise across the Department of Energy’s ecosystem,” said Tulassi. “Events like AI+ Expo are critical because they bring together a wide range of stakeholders to align their capabilities around the common goal of dramatically increasing the productivity, impact, and competitiveness of American science and technology.”
Several ORNL researchers representing high performance computing, AI, and advanced scientific computing, including Arjun Shankar, director of ORNL’s National Center for Computational Sciences, contributed to the conversation with presentations and demonstrations highlighting the institute’s leadership in scientific AI. Shankar detailed ORNL’s role in leading the American Science Cloud, a cornerstone effort of the Genesis mission, and emphasized the importance of presentations at the event.
“AI Expo brings together practitioners, designers, and users, and it was truly energizing to present about American Science Cloud to an enthusiastic audience at the DOE booth,” said Shankar.
