Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Microsoft are joining forces to accelerate scientific discovery by leveraging advancements in computing to enable new ways to approach scientific research. Over the next several years, the Microsoft-PNNL collaboration envisions a transformative journey toward pioneering breakthroughs in scientific discovery, sustainable energy, and national security—leveraging cutting-edge computing and artificial intelligence technologies to address some of the world's most pressing challenges. The collaboration emphasized computational chemistry and material science to start, but is already expanding into adjacent domains.
This multi-year vision embodies our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible through the fusion of cutting-edge technology and scientific expertise. Microsoft brings cloud-based high-performance computing, advanced AI models, and Azure Quantum Elements, a platform purpose-built to support scientific discovery. Researchers from PNNL bring decades of scientific knowledge and experience in energy domains including battery technology, catalysis, computational chemistry, materials science, quantum information science, and more.
Together, the team will demonstrate the rapid cycles of computational simulation and laboratory validation needed to deliver on the promise of AI for science in chemistry, materials science, and beyond—while providing educational initiatives, workshops, and training to the scientists who shape how we gather, store, and consume energy in the 21st century.