ORNL confirmed to play major role in federal ‘Genesis Mission’ to equip AI for scientific discovery
According to the White House, the Genesis Mission will draw on the expertise of roughly 40,000 DOE scientists, engineers, and technical staff across the country to build an inter-connected supercomputer platform.
About a week ago, attendees of the Opportunities in Energy event in Knoxville were surprised to candidly learn of a new federal AI initiative that could significantly affect workers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Carl Coe, the Department of Energy (DOE) Chief of Staff, foreshadowed an executive order that would thrust something called the “Genesis Mission” into action.
As promised, on Monday morning, the Executive Order was officially released by the White House. It is a national initiative to use AI to accelerate scientific discovery in critical domains such as advanced energy, biotech, semiconductors, quantum science, and more. This announcement follows a couple of other Executive Orders from President Donald Trump since the beginning of the year.
In the Executive Order, the White House articulated an urgency that they say is comparable to the Manhattan Project.
What’s the goal?
The goal of the “Genesis Mission” is to develop an integrated platform that connects the world’s best supercomputers, experimental facilities, AI systems, and unique datasets across every major scientific domain to double the productivity and impact of American research within a decade.
“Throughout history, from the Manhattan Project to the Apollo mission, our nation’s brightest minds and industries have answered the call when their nation needed them,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.
“Today, the United States is calling on them once again. Under President Trump’s leadership, the Genesis Mission will unleash the full power of our National Laboratories, supercomputers, and data resources to ensure that America is the global leader in artificial intelligence and to usher in a new golden era of American discovery,” he said.
How does Oak Ridge fit in the puzzle?
ORNL’s Frontier is the second-fastest supercomputer in the world. El Capitan at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is the fastest, passing up Frontier in November of 2024. However, in October of 2025, ORNL announced two new supercomputers coming to Oak Ridge: Discovery and Lux.
Discovery will be delivered in 2028 with significantly greater performance than Frontier.
The Lux will be deployed at ORNL in early 2026 and will expand DOE’s near-term AI capacity and accelerate progress on critical problems, including fusion, fission, materials, quantum, advanced manufacturing, and the grid.
According to ORNL, the lab’s two new supercomputers will give Genesis unprecedented power to translate solutions into real-world impact for the nation.
“The national labs are home to America’s most powerful tools of scientific discovery. By connecting these unique facilities through a secure, AI-driven environment, DOE and its laboratories will revolutionize the research process, tackle more complex challenges, and accelerate innovation,” said ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer. “Oak Ridge National Laboratory is proud to contribute to this bold mission, leveraging the power of our next-generation exascale supercomputers.”
Watch more about the Executive Order on the DOE website.
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