The Energy Department said it will partner with Advanced Micro Devices in a $1 billion effort to build two AI-accelerated supercomputers aimed at speeding research in nuclear power, fusion, national security and drug discovery. The first system, dubbed Lux and built around AMD’s MI355X chips with additional AMD CPUs and networking, is slated to come online within six months in collaboration with HPE, Oracle Cloud and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. A larger follow-on machine, Discovery, will use next-generation MI430 accelerators and is expected to be delivered in 2028 and operational in 2029. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the systems will “supercharge” scientific progress, while ORNL projected Lux would offer roughly triple the AI capacity of current top systems. AMD CEO Lisa Su called Lux’s rollout the fastest deployment of its kind she’s seen, underscoring the chipmaker’s push to challenge Nvidia in AI and high-performance computing. AMD shares rose about 2.7% Monday. The initiative reflects Washington’s drive to expand domestic compute capacity for critical research and to safeguard strategic capabilities.
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