- Lux and Discovery supercomputers will combine EPYC processors, Instinct GPUs and advanced networking
- The Lux AI supercomputer is considered the first American “AI factory”
- Discovery builds on Frontier’s legacy with greater bandwidth and improved efficiency
The U.S. Department of Energy announced a $1 billion collaboration with AMD to deliver two supercomputers, Lux and Discovery, to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
AMD says the partnership will help it deliver computing platforms that advance research in energy, health care and national security, with both systems part of the federal effort to maintain a lead in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing.
Lux, which will arrive in early 2026, and Discovery, planned for 2028, are under development alongside HPE and Oracle.
Lux and Discovery – two heavy-duty systems
“We are proud and honored to partner with the Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to accelerate America’s foundation in science and innovation,” said Dr. Lisa Su, President and CEO of AMD.
“Discovery and Lux will use AMD’s high-performance computing and AI technologies to advance America’s most critical research priorities in science, energy and medicine, demonstrating the power of public-private partnership at its best. »
The systems will combine AMD’s Instinct GPUs, EPYC processors and networking hardware to expand national computing capacity and power future AI tools.
The Lux AI system is described by the Department of Energy as America’s first dedicated science and research “AI factory,” used to train and refine core models designed for fields such as biology, materials science and clean energy.
Its architecture is suitable for data-intensive workloads that cannot be handled by a traditional workstation.
Despite the strong technical claims, there is little independent verification of how Lux will perform once deployed.
Its co-development with cloud providers like Oracle raises questions about how much of the infrastructure will remain sovereign and under direct federal control.
“Oracle will provide a sovereign, high-performance AI infrastructure that will support the co-development of the Lux AI cluster,” said Mahesh Thiagarajan, executive vice president of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
Discovery, planned to succeed the Frontier supercomputer, will use AMD’s next-generation EPYC processors and MI430X GPUs.
“The Discovery system will drive scientific innovation faster and further than ever before,” said ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer.
The project is expected to increase bandwidth and efficiency while keeping energy consumption stable, a goal that remains to be proven.
Its backers at Oak Ridge say it will increase DOE’s ability to simulate scientific processes and design materials, reactors and catalysts at record speed.
However, large-scale AI tools require ongoing maintenance, and it is unclear whether Discovery will meet its energy and cost goals once put into production.
“Winning the AI race requires new and creative partnerships that will bring together the brightest minds and industries that American technology and science have to offer,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
“That’s why the Trump Administration is announcing the first example of a common-sense new approach to IT partnerships with Lux. We’re also announcing, through a competitive procurement process, Discovery. Together with AMD and HPE, we’re bringing new capabilities online faster than ever…”
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