U.S. Department of Energy and AMD Announce $1 Billion Supercomputer Partnership

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has entered into a $1 billion partnership with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) to develop two advanced supercomputers, Lux and Discovery, designed to address complex scientific challenges in energy, medicine, and national security.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated that the systems would "supercharge" advancements in nuclear power, fusion energy, defense technologies, and drug development.

Lux is scheduled to be operational within six months and will utilize AMD's MI355X AI chips, along with AMD CPUs and networking components. The system is being co-developed by AMD, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer noted that Lux will deliver approximately three times the AI capacity of current supercomputers.

Discovery, the second supercomputer, is expected to be delivered in 2028 and become operational in 2029. It will be based on AMD's MI430 series AI chips, designed for high-performance computing and AI workloads. This system is a collaboration between ORNL, HPE, and AMD.

Both supercomputers will be hosted by the DOE, with resources and capital investment shared between public and private entities. This initiative is viewed as a model for future collaborations between government and industry to accelerate technological and scientific advancements.

Following the announcement, AMD's stock price experienced a modest increase, reflecting investor confidence in the company's expanding role in high-performance computing and AI infrastructure.