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Over the past few weeks, I've had the privilege of being in rooms with National Lab scientists, startup founders, university researchers, and industry leaders from across the country. What strikes me every time is not a shortage of ideas—it's how many extraordinary ideas are already within reach of real-world impact. The frontier of science keeps expanding. The technology is advancing faster than most people realize.
The Genesis Mission is designed to accelerate discovery and impact. Not by adding another bureaucratic layer on top of what already exists, but by connecting the right people, the right capabilities, and the right capital at the right moment. And much like the Internet didn't solve one problem but created a platform that transformed everything built on top of it, we are collaboratively architecting and building the scientific infrastructure and methodologies that will ensure American leadership for decades to come.
Here is what I am seeing right now.
—Darío
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Across our National Labs, we're seeing teams use AI and advanced computing in new ways to accelerate breakthroughs and deliver results. At Oak Ridge National Laboratory, researchers are using Frontier—the world’s first exascale supercomputer—to tackle long-standing challenges in plant science. A new method more than doubles processing speed while using 75% less memory, enabling faster analysis of plant imaging data and accelerating AI-guided discoveries for the development of high-performing crops. Learn more.
 Hyperspectral imaging in ORNL’s Advanced Plant Phenotyping Laboratory captures plant biochemical composition beyond visible light, resulting in massive amounts of data used to train an AI foundation model. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy
At Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, scientists are improving how scientific data is captured and processed. They’re using advanced camera sensors that detect colors outside the visible light spectrum to study objects’ material and structural properties, integrating AI algorithms directly into the sensors themselves. This reduces the need to send data from the sensors to digital processors, allowing researchers to quickly and efficiently identify chemicals and analyze materials at the source. Read more.
This work shows that when we bring AI and DOE’s scientific infrastructure together, we can move beyond discovery to real-world impact.
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One Conversation That Stuck with Me
I recently had the opportunity to travel nearly a mile underground in Lead, South Dakota to see firsthand the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) at Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF). After touring the site, I spoke about how DUNE, a global initiative led by DOE and Fermilab, reflects America’s long tradition of investing in bold scientific endeavors that can reshape our understanding of the world. Standing in those enormous underground caverns and seeing the scale of a project bringing together more than 1,500 scientists from around the globe was both humbling and inspiring—and a great reminder of what’s possible through ambitious science and global collaboration.
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Momentum is building across the Genesis Mission and Office of Science, marked by world-leading quantum initiatives, new international partnerships, record-setting interest in funding opportunities, and a finalized Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap.
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This week, we announced the Quantum Genesis initiative, an ambitious effort to develop and deploy the world’s first scientifically relevant, fault-tolerant quantum computing capability by 2028. This initiative serves as a foundational element of the broader Genesis Mission and marks a significant step toward the Department’s goals outlined in President Trump’s Executive Order, Ushering the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation. Read more .
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The Genesis Mission is expanding internationally. On June 4, DOE and Japan announced a historic $1 billion partnership to advance the Genesis Mission’s goal of transforming how science is done in the age of AI. This partnership brings together the world’s best scientific facilities, computing resources, and research talent to accelerate breakthroughs in quantum information science, fusion energy, biotechnology, advanced materials, and particle physics. Learn more here.
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- In March, DOE announced $293 million in funding through a Genesis Mission Request for Application, inviting interdisciplinary teams from National Labs, industry, and academia to leverage new AI models and frameworks to address over 20 of our national science and technology challenges. We’ve officially closed Phase I applications, and the response exceeded all expectations. We received the largest number of submissions in DOE’s history, two times more than the next largest solicitation. Over 800 institutions spanning industry, National Labs, and academia applied, representing all 50 states. The enthusiasm from the community has been extraordinary.
- Have you had the chance to read our finalized Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap? Building on earlier roadmap efforts, the completed roadmap brings together fusion science, technology, infrastructure, workforce development, and commercialization priorities into a single national strategy to support fusion pilot plants and commercial fusion power in the mid-2030s. Read more here.
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Across recent interviews and media coverage, I'm seeing a consistent theme: there is real excitement about the United States entering a new era of AI and scientific discovery. That energy has been reflected in the strong response to the Genesis Mission’s national science and technology challenges and funding opportunities tied to this work. It reinforces that people are seeing the value of bringing together government, industry, and academia to make a real impact in everyday life.
Check out some recent highlights:
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Looking ahead, I’m excited to continue visiting our National Labs and meeting with leaders to see firsthand the groundbreaking work underway, and to continue growing relationships with key industry partners to move the Genesis Mission forward. |
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Upcoming Events:
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Freedom250 Great American State Fair, June 25 – July 10: Explore the Department of Energy booth featuring the Genesis Mission on the National Mall.
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