US DOE invests in Fermilab projects to accelerate AI-enabled scientific discovery

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the list of projects selected to receive funding through the Genesis Mission: Transforming Science and Energy with AI. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) was chosen for a portfolio of initiatives, including one AI/ML project led by Fermilab and eight others in which the laboratory is a key collaborator.

These awards position Fermilab as a strong contributor to the Genesis Mission and demonstrate the laboratory’s leadership in applying artificial intelligence and advanced technologies to accelerate scientific discovery.

“Fermilab is honored to receive this support for advancing artificial intelligence as part of DOE’s Genesis Mission. This investment strengthens our ability to accelerate scientific discovery, develop next-generation technologies, and drive innovation at the frontiers of particle physics and advanced technology,” said Fermilab Director Norbert Holtkamp. “We are proud to contribute our expertise to a mission that will help shape the next era of U.S. leadership in science and technology.”

Credit: Ryan Postel, Fermilab

Fermilab-Led Project

The Fermilab-led project will develop AI/ML-based resonance control algorithms to enable high-reliability, low-cost accelerator operations. These algorithms are expected to substantially improve the performance of particle accelerators that drive discovery science.

Several partner institutions are contributing to this project, including:

• National laboratories
• Universities
• Industry partner xLight Inc.

Key Benefits of the AI/ML Algorithms

The algorithms emerging from this project will:

• Increase science reach
• Improve stability for users
• Increase radio-frequency amplifier lifetime
• Reduce operating costs

Technical Background

Superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities are electromagnetic resonators that transfer energy to beams in particle accelerators. Because they are extremely efficient resonators, they can be disturbed by small vibrations and pressure fluctuations. Precise control of the cavity resonant frequency is vitally important for current and future SRF-based accelerators, including:

• Fermilab’s Proton Improvement Plan-II (PIP-II) linear accelerator
• SLAC National Laboratory’s Linac Coherent Light Source-SC
• Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Electron-Ion Collider (EIC)
• Michigan State University’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams
• Argonne National Laboratory’s Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System
• Industrial accelerators

“These awards recognize the tremendous opportunity to combine artificial intelligence with Fermilab’s world-leading expertise in superconducting accelerator technology,” said Anna Grassellino, chief technology officer and associate laboratory director for the Technology Directorate at Fermilab. “By developing AI-driven control of superconducting RF cavities, we can make future accelerators — such as our own PIP-II — more efficient, reliable, and autonomous, enabling higher scientific performance while reducing operational complexity. This is an important step toward a new generation of intelligent accelerator facilities that will power discoveries across particle physics and many other fields of science.”

Fermilab as Key Collaborator

Fermilab will contribute as a key collaborator on several other projects aligned with core research areas of the laboratory, including:

• Neutrino and collider physics
• The muon-to-electron-conversion experiment (Mu2e)
• Precision frontier research
• The Electron-Ion Collider
• Advanced scientific computing

About the Genesis Mission

The Genesis Mission is a historic national initiative led by the U.S. Department of Energy. It is building the world’s most powerful integrated science discovery platform by uniting government, industry, academia, and philanthropy. The mission aims to accelerate breakthroughs in energy, scientific discovery, and national security through a new platform that combines AI, supercomputing, quantum systems, and advanced scientific instruments.

Phase I Awards

The projects announced today will receive funding through a Request For Applications (RFA) issued by DOE in March. The goal of the Phase I RFA awards is to identify promising pathways toward transformative scientific capabilities and establish a foundation for future investment and scale.

Fermilab project teams will design and demonstrate research workflows that integrate AI with scientific investigation, while rigorously evaluating whether those approaches can:

• Accelerate discovery
• Improve predictive capabilities
• Enhance experimentation
• Generate new scientific insights

Fermilab participated in today’s Genesis Mission Summit as a recipient of a first-round Genesis Mission award, underscoring its leadership in advanced accelerator technologies.