Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Here's to another year of PNNL's work advancing AI and automation to speed scientific discovery, developing grid control and energy storage, and strengthening national security. We're proud to serve the nation and look forward to 2026 and our contributions to the Genesis Mission.

It was an honor to host U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright at PNNL and demonstrate how we’re serving the nation’s most critical missions in scientific discovery, energy reliability, and national security. Our tour included giving Wright a look at how PNNL’s innovative research is advancing AI and automation and developing grid control and energy storage technologies for affordable, secure electricity. PNNL staff also shared how we harness the power of data science and autonomy to revolutionize discovery and radically reduce the research-to-impact timeline. We look forward to future visits with Wright and contributing our AI expertise to DOE’s new Genesis Mission.

Pursuing technological advancements at PNNL has been a family affair for Tom Brouns, environmental management sector director, as he joined both his father and two older siblings as a staff member. #60YearsOfPNNL

Fifteen years ago, PNNL researchers helped create the world's smallest battery. 🔋 *record scratch* *freeze frame* You're probably wondering how we got here. Learn about PNNL's 20-year multidisciplinary effort to develop better batteries: https://bit.ly/4pBtGTR

PNNL is proud to co-lead the Transformational AI Model Consortium (ModCon) as part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s #GenesisMission. Courtney Corley, our chief scientist for AI, is serving as the deputy director for ModCon. Through ModCon, scientists and engineers will harness DOE’s unique data, facilities, and expertise to build and deploy self-improving AI models that advance science, engineering, and energy missions. The development of ModCon will contribute to Genesis Mission efforts to advance AI capabilities for the nation.

Testing of the first utility-grade battery was initiated at the Grid Storage Launchpad (GSL) last week during U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Wright's visit! By connecting science to industry needs, GSL is making tomorrow’s energy storage technologies a reality.

Electrical engineer Jeff Dagle breaks down his work to improve the reliability and security of the nation's power grid. ⚡

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright’s recent visit to PNNL reenergized our 60-year pursuit of serving the nation through our research. Pointing our time and talent towards the most critical challenges described by Secretary Wright, we will continue to lead in scientific innovation, harness the power of AI and data science to speed research and impact, develop and validate next-gen tech to modernize the power grid, and protect national security through bespoke AI solutions and with our world-class expertise in nuclear security.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) commissioned a first-of-its-kind research capability today during Secretary Chris Wright’s visit to PNNL. The new Anaerobic Microbial Phenotyping Platform, known as AMP2, will transform how biological science is conducted in the United States. The platform integrates autonomous experimental hardware with AI-guided software to speed biotechnology discovery and strengthen the U.S. bioeconomy. AMP2 is part of the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a DOE Office of Science user facility located on the PNNL campus that supports hundreds of researchers worldwide. Through a competitive process, PNNL selected Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc., a Boston-based company, to build AMP2. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4oEie8F

Thank you, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright, for meeting with staff at PNNL and sharing DOE’s priorities to accelerate and advance scientific discovery, drive energy innovation, and strengthen national security. We are honored to point our deep expertise in AI toward DOE’s Genesis Mission, speed research, and make a historic difference in America’s global competitiveness.