— The U.S. Department of Energy announced Thursday that its upcoming “Doudna” supercomputer, set to launch in 2026, will incorporate technology from Nvidia and Dell.
Named after Jennifer Doudna, the Nobel Prize-winning biochemist renowned for her work on CRISPR gene editing, the new system will be housed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California.
At an event attended by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, officials revealed that the system will feature Nvidia’s latest “Vera Rubin” chips, integrated into liquid-cooled servers provided by Dell. The powerful computing system will serve a community of over 11,000 researchers, supporting advancements across fields such as chemistry, physics, and biology.
“This will drive scientific breakthroughs,” Wright said at the press conference. Doudna added that her early CRISPR research benefited from Energy Department resources, highlighting the growing convergence of biology and computing.
Beyond basic research, the Energy Department’s supercomputers also play a crucial role in the design and upkeep of the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, speaking at the event, called the scientific supercomputer “one of humanity’s most vital instruments,” essential not only for scientific progress but also for economic competitiveness and national security.
Huang’s appearance came a day after he praised former President Donald Trump, while also criticizing U.S. export restrictions on Nvidia chips to China—controls he said have cost the company billions in lost revenue.
Meanwhile, bipartisan scrutiny over Nvidia’s international operations intensified. Senators Jim Banks (R) and Elizabeth Warren (D) sent a letter to Huang on Wednesday citing national security concerns over the company’s plan to establish a research facility in Shanghai.
On social media, Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) warned: “Keeping advanced AI chips out of the hands of the Chinese Communists isn’t about business—it’s a national security issue. Companies like Nvidia must know that anyone who violates export laws will be held accountable.”
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