OpenAI and the U.S. Department of Energy sign a memorandum of understanding to accelerate science with AI.

Download OpenAI’s science recommendations to the White House

Scientific progress shapes everything from health and energy to national security and our understanding of the universe. If AI can help researchers explore more ideas, test hypotheses faster, and move from insight to validated results more quickly, the benefits compound across disciplines and society.

OpenAI and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore further collaborations on AI and advanced computing in support of DOE initiatives, including the Genesis Mission. The MOU builds on OpenAI’s work with DOE’s national laboratories, where frontier models have been deployed in research environments and evaluated with scientists on high-impact problems.

The Genesis Mission brings together government, national labs, and industry to apply advanced AI and computing to accelerate scientific discovery. The agreement establishes a framework for information sharing and coordination and creates a path for follow-on agreements as specific projects take shape.

A shared commitment to accelerate discovery

OpenAI and DOE share a focus on advancing basic and applied research and strengthening U.S. leadership in AI and advanced computing. The MOU provides a structured way to exchange technical expertise, coordinate activities, and explore work such as fusion energy, while keeping future projects clearly scoped and governed.

Building on a growing partnership with DOE’s national laboratories

OpenAI has convened the 1,000 Scientist AI Jam Session, where scientists across nine labs tested frontier models on domain-specific problems and provided feedback. It has also deployed reasoning models on the Venado supercomputer at Los Alamos and partnered with the laboratory to develop bioscience evaluations for multimodal models in realistic laboratory settings.

How OpenAI for Science fits into this partnership

The goal is to help researchers explore more ideas, test hypotheses faster, and uncover insights that would otherwise take significant time. This depends on both scientific tools—simulation engines, analysis pipelines, databases, and high-performance computing—and frontier reasoning that can support conceptual work, connect ideas across fields, and stress-test hypotheses.

What’s next

Scientific discovery advances fastest when great tools meet great scientists. OpenAI describes frontier AI, developed in close partnership with the scientific community, as a potential new kind of scientific instrument that expands what researchers can explore and helps translate insight into impact.