31-01-2025
Los Alamos National Laboratory to use OpenAI's models for national security research
Jan. 30—Los Alamos National Laboratory is partnering with OpenAI to conduct national security research.
The two entities, which announced the partnership in separate announcements, said LANL will install OpenAI's latest o-series models onto its Venado supercomputer, which uses Nvidia chips.
"As threats to the nation become more complex and more pressing, we need new approaches and advanced technologies to preserve America's security," LANL Director Thom Mason said in a statement. "Artificial intelligence models from OpenAI will allow us to do this more successfully, while also advancing our scientific missions to solve some of the nation's most important challenges."
Under the agreement, up to 15,000 scientists associated with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Laboratories, including those with Sandia National Laboratories and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, will have access to Venado and OpenAI's installed o-series models, OpenAI said in a news release.
LANL officials said Venado will be moved to a secure, classified network that will allow researchers with those labs access to that resource.
The partnership comes at a critical time for artificial intelligence, which is being integrated into everyday life. It follows other projects between LANL and OpenAI, including research into AI's role in lab safety.
Venado, which came online last year, was designed to make breakthroughs in areas such as renewable energy and astrophysics. It uses about 2,560 direct, liquid-cooled Grace Hopper Superchips from Nvidia to power its computing capacity.
OpenAI officials on Thursday said the integration of its o-series models in Venado will help researchers in treating disease, cybersecurity projects and "reducing the risk of nuclear war and securing nuclear materials and weapons worldwide."
"This use case is highly consequential, and we believe it is critical for OpenAI to support it as part of our commitment to national security," they added. "Our partnership will support this work, with careful and selective review of use cases and consultations on AI safety from OpenAI researchers with security clearances."
Lab officials said national labs are best suited to "complement industry capabilities to harness AI for public good."
"AI has sparked a new era of scientific progress," LANL National Security AI Director Jason Pruet said in a statement. "With the capabilities from OpenAI on Venado, we have a chance to make contributions to the nation that seemed impossible just a few years ago."
