The National Science Foundation (NSF) said on Wednesday that it is looking to open a National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Operations Center (NAIRR-OC) to arm the nation’s researchers and educators with critical AI tools and resources.
In a solicitation, NSF said that it is aiming to build on its National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) pilot by building sustained operational capabilities for NAIRR and broadening access to AI resources for the research community, which largely lacks the tools and resources “to investigate fundamental AI questions and train students.”
NAIRR was launched in January 2024 and serves as a shared national infrastructure to support the AI research community and power responsible AI use.
“The NAIRR Operating Center solicitation marks a key step in the transition from the NAIRR Pilot to building a sustainable and scalable NAIRR program,” said Katie Antypas, director of the NSF Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure.
“We look forward to continued collaboration with private sector and agency partners, whose contributions have been critical in demonstrating the innovation and scientific impact that comes when critical AI resources are made accessible to research and education communities across the country,” continued Antypas.
Specifically, NSF’s solicitation asks for proposals to create a community-based center to oversee “the development of the overarching framework, operations strategy and management structure needed to support the NAIRR’s scaling and growth.”
That includes integrating advanced computing and data resources, a centralized web portal with access to tools, and collaborating with partner organizations, while conducting outreach and engagement with the national AI research community.
NSF said that the NAIRR-OC will directly carry out priorities in the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan, released in July, which said that the federal government should “build the foundations for a lean and sustainable NAIRR operations capability that can connect an increasing number of researchers and educators across the country to critical AI resources.”
Since NAIRR’s launch, it has connected 400 research teams with computing platforms, datasets, software, and models, and is partnering with 28 industry members and supported by 14 federal agencies, according to NSF.