Federal officials are turning to computational resources in Pittsburgh as the National Science Foundation and other federal organizations race to get ahead of rapid advancements in artificial intelligence.
On Wednesday, the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies announced the launch of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) pilot program to better define a unified research and infrastructure approach for the discovery and deployment of responsible AI innovations.
The NAIRR pilot includes 10 federal agencies like the Departments of Defense and Energy as well as 25 private sector organizations such as Google, Intel, Microsoft, OpenAI and others, many of which have contributed tens of millions of dollars in various research-related credits for this initiative.
Efforts accomplished by these partnering groups are to fall into four focus areas: NAIRR Open, NAIRR Secure, NAIRR Software and NAIRR Classroom.
That first focus area — NAIRR Open — will work to allow for transparent access to all sorts of AI-related research efforts that are being conducted through the NAIRR Pilot Portal, which is also where the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC), based in Oakland, is folded into this overarching plan that's been quickly formulated following the AI-focused executive order President Joe Biden issued in October 2023.
PSC is one of six entities nationally that will offer computational resources that haven't been made publically available before in this manner.
According to Stephen Deems, an assistant director for project management at the PSC, this is putting the organization on a pedestal it hasn't been able to reach before and is one he thinks will truly elevate the organization, which is run by roughly 70 people.
"We do see it as a big opportunity," Deems said. "For us, it's our first foray into a program that spans this many [federal] agencies. … For us, it's changing the way that we think about the future of our center and not just our current researcher base but where are we going to be."
Deems said that if the full NAIRR vision comes to fruition as intended, it'll become a $6 billion federal effort. Positioning the PSC as a strong participant in this pilot via its in-kind allocation of resources could result in significant returns for the organization, he said while noting that it could also lead to future opportunities from federal groups it has never worked with before.
"We've been a pioneer in converging high-performance computing with artificial intelligence and data analytics so we've already been down this path, but it's making us think, what else do we need to be well positioned to not just be a leader in Pittsburgh, but at the federal scale and maybe start doing business and having collaboration with some agencies that we typically haven't had," Deems said.
Those looking to create safe, secure and trustworthy AI innovations can take advantage of the PSC's resources or those of the five other offerings by submitting a proposal as part of an initial call for applicants. This application period is open until March 1. The NSF said it expects to offer another traunch of resource allocations later this spring.
"The breadth of partners that have come together for this pilot underscores the urgency of developing a National AI Research Resource for the future of AI in America," NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said in a statement. "By investing in AI research through the NAIRR pilot, the United States unleashes discovery and impact and bolsters its global competitiveness. To continue leading in AI research and development, we must create opportunities across the country to advance AI innovation and strengthen educational opportunities, empowering the nation to shape international standards and igniting economic growth."
