The U.S. National Science Foundation has launched a $100 million program to establish regional hubs for AI computing infrastructure, aiming to close the gap in access to advanced compute resources for scientific researchers across the country. The State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs program will support up to 10 state or multi-state consortia that pool resources from academic institutions, state governments, industry, and philanthropy.
The program responds directly to recommendations in "Science: A New Golden Age," a July 2026 report from White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios. That report, along with the administration's Fiscal Year 2028 R&D priorities memorandum, calls for investing in AI for science as a national mission and expanding access to advanced compute and data infrastructure.
How the hubs will work
Each hub will build and operate scientific compute resources for researchers, students, and educators in its region. NSF will provide catalytic funding for consortium coordination, workforce development, and faculty training, while other partners contribute hardware, funding, and operational support.
"Artificial intelligence is transforming how we conduct research, accelerate scientific discovery and address complex challenges across disciplines," said Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF director. "The State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs program supports a national mission to advance AI for science by expanding access to critical AI resources, strengthening state and regional ecosystems, and developing the workforce capabilities needed to harness these technologies."
Many private-sector and philanthropic organizations, including NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, Dell Technologies, Hangar, and the Secunda Innovation Fund, have stated they intend to support participants in the program. The hubs are also encouraged to integrate with the NSF-led National AI Research Resource and the White House-led Genesis Mission.
"American scientists deserve the world's best tools to enable their most ambitious work," said Kratsios. "In 'Science: A New Golden Age,' we called for expanding access to world-class R&D infrastructure, including advanced compute, to reflect how science is conducted today. These hubs deliver on that commitment in the most practical way possible. Regional partners who share in the benefits of discovery will pool their resources to unlock compute at a scale that no individual stakeholder, and no federal program, could achieve alone."
Researchers in science and research roles can explore how AI infrastructure is rapidly transforming the process of scientific discovery through resources on AI for Science & Research. For those focused on academic or research settings, the broader category of AI-enabled Research covers tools and methods currently being deployed in labs and universities.
Workforce development focus
NSF will invest in AI infrastructure professionals who can support researchers and educators in using compute resources. The program also funds faculty training and instructional material development to build skills in applying computing, data, and software systems for scientific research.
Each hub will partner with regional industry to align workforce development with local job market needs. Hubs are also encouraged to engage with the Campus Research Computing Consortium for workforce development.
Why this matters for scientists and researchers
Access to advanced AI compute remains highly uneven across U.S. institutions, leaving researchers at smaller universities and in states with minimal industry presence at a disadvantage. This program offers a mechanism for those institutions to gain access to the sort of infrastructure essential for frontier research and for their students to receive training to which few currently have access. The hubs are structured to endure beyond the initial federal investment, because each consortium must commit its own resources to build and sustain operations.
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