News Releases

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Type One Energy and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT), are partnering to establish a world-class high-heat flux (HHF) facility to evaluate how materials react under extreme conditions in a fusion device. The HHF facility will accelerate the development of plasma-facing components (PFCs), which experience the harshest operational conditions in fusion energy devices, and enable both private and public entities to qualify and validate the materials used in fusion pilot plant designs.

A paper published in Nature Communications shows how AI at Sandia National Laboratories is advancing beyond a mere automation tool toward becoming a powerful engine for clear, comprehensible scientific discovery.

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has opened the application period for its annual grants supporting STEM education and community development initiatives. These grants are funded by Battelle Energy Alliance, which operates the lab for the U.S. Department of Energy.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories generated a record $5.2 billion in economic impact in 2025, marking the 17^th consecutive year Sandia has set a new high, according to its annual economic impact report released this week.

Shaun Gleason, director of the Partnerships Office at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been appointed to Tennessee’s Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council. Council members are appointed by the governor and provide a collaborative source of knowledge, expertise and information sharing to advance the state’s use of AI technologies.

Neuromorphic computers, inspired by the architecture of the human brain, are proving surprisingly adept at solving complex mathematical problems that underpin scientific and engineering challenges.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — The recent delivery of advanced nuclear fuel to the Idaho National Laboratory’s Transient Reactor Test Facility marks a major milestone for Project Pele, a first-of-its-kind mobile microreactor prototype designed to provide resilient power for military operations.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — The Idaho National Laboratory today announced initial selections for the Microreactor Application Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) end user experiments. The five competitively selected teams will demonstrate several test cases, including desalination of remote operations and advanced sensors. The experiments will also be among the first to demonstrate the viability of powering data centers with advanced nuclear technologies, a cutting-edge use of nuclear energy that ensures America remains the leader in innovation to dominate the artificial intelligence race. These efforts deliver on the Trump administration’s executive orders to unleash private sector innovation and expedite the deployment of commercial nuclear energy technologies.

Denise Antunes da Silva, a senior R&D staff member at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elected a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society for her outstanding contributions to the field of ceramics and materials science.