NSF and NVIDIA Invest $150 Million in Open AI Models to Boost Scientific Research
The National Science Foundation (NSF) and NVIDIA have announced a joint investment of approximately $150 million to develop open AI models specifically for scientific use. The project, led by the Allen Institute for AI (Ai2) based in Seattle, aims to create a fully open suite of advanced AI models tailored to support the U.S. scientific community.
NSF is contributing $75 million, while NVIDIA is providing $77 million to fund this initiative, known as the Open Multimodal AI Infrastructure to Accelerate Science. Ai2, founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, will focus on building large language models that are both open-source and multimodal—capable of understanding diverse data types such as text and images.
Open-Source AI for Science
These AI models will be trained on scientific data and literature, enabling researchers to access and build upon them freely. This openness is seen as essential for fostering collaboration and innovation across millions of researchers and developers nationwide.
Ali Farhadi, CEO of Ai2, emphasized the importance of open AI, stating, “Fully-open AI is not just a preference — it’s a necessity.” The goal is to sustain U.S. leadership in scientific and technological discovery by creating ecosystems where improvements and expansions of AI systems happen collaboratively.
Context and Policy Support
This funding aligns with the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan, which encourages partnerships between government agencies and the private sector, as well as the development of open-source AI models. Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, highlighted the partnership as a practical step toward advancing this plan and accelerating scientific breakthroughs through AI.
The project’s funding comes through NSF’s Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure program. This is part of NSF’s recent shift in funding priorities, which has seen a reduction in grants unrelated to federal priorities, including those focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, environmental justice, and misinformation.
Broader AI Research Investments
NSF’s investment in Ai2 follows other recent funding efforts in AI research infrastructure. The agency has supported AI testbeds and established partnerships with companies like Capital One and Intel to back National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes and a central AI community hub.
These efforts reflect a clear priority on advancing AI technologies that benefit the scientific community and public research.
Why This Matters
- Open-source AI models trained on scientific data will enhance accessibility and collaboration in research.
- Multimodal AI capabilities enable handling of varied data types, improving analysis and discovery.
- Strong public-private partnerships drive innovation aligned with national priorities.
For those involved in scientific research or AI development, this initiative signals increased support and resources for open AI tools tailored to scientific challenges.
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