NSF Seeks Proposals to Establish National AI Research Resource Operations Center to Broaden Access for Researchers Nationwide

NSF Launches Effort to Establish National AI Research Operations Center

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued a solicitation to establish the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Operations Center (NAIRR-OC). This move advances the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) from a pilot into a sustainable, national-scale program.

Launched in 2024 as a public-private partnership, the NAIRR pilot has broadened access to compute, data, models, and training for U.S. researchers and educators. While AI progress has been fast, many teams still lack the infrastructure to explore fundamental questions and train students effectively.

From Pilot to National Infrastructure

To date, the pilot has connected more than 400 research teams with computing platforms, datasets, software, and models. Projects span agriculture, drug discovery, cybersecurity, and education, backed by 14 federal agencies and 28 industry and nonprofit partners.

"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," said Katie Antypas, director of the NSF Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure.

What the NAIRR-OC Will Do

• Create a centralized governance framework to coordinate participating resources and partners.
• Integrate advanced computing and data resources to streamline researcher access and operations.
• Launch a web portal for simplified discovery, allocation, and onboarding.
• Strengthen outreach and collaboration across the AI research community.

Why This Matters for Operations, Science, and Research Leaders

A centralized operations center can reduce friction: consistent access pathways, clearer policies, and shared best practices. For PIs and lab managers, this means less time stitching together compute, data, and support-and more time on experiments and publications.

For institutions, national coordination can improve resource planning, compliance alignment, and training at scale. It also supports wider participation by institutions that don't have large in-house AI infrastructure.

Action Steps to Prepare

• Monitor the NSF solicitation and expected eligibility, allocation processes, and reporting requirements.
• Inventory projects that could benefit from shared compute, shared datasets, or managed model access.
• Tighten data governance: data classification, access controls, provenance, reproducibility, and audit trails.
• Plan onboarding: user management, training pathways for students and staff, and support workflows.
• Define cost and resource policies: allocation tiers, quotas, fair-use policies, and utilization tracking.
• Engage partners early (campus IT, research computing, compliance, and external collaborators) to align on standards.

Where to Learn More

Stay updated via the NSF website for program details and solicitation updates: NSF.gov.

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