The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the US Department of Energy (DOE) announced more than $1 billion in awards for the establishment of 12 new artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum information science (QIS) research institutes nationwide.

The $1 billion will go towards NSF-led AI Research Institutes and DOE QIS Research Centers over five years, establishing 12 multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional national hubs for research and workforce development in these critical emerging technologies.

Together, the institutes will spur cutting edge innovation, support regional economic growth, and advance American leadership in these critical industries of the future.

NSF-Led AI Research Institutes. The National Science Foundation and additional Federal partners, including the US Department of Agriculture, are awarding $140 million for seven NSF-led AI Research Institutes over five years to accelerate a number of AI R&D areas, such as machine-learning, synthetic manufacturing, precision agriculture, and forecasting prediction.

The NSF-led AI Research Institutes will be hosted by universities across the country, including at the University of Oklahoma at Norman, University of Texas at Austin, University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of California at Davis, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

NSF anticipates additional AI Research Institute awards in the coming years, with more than $300 million in total investment toward these national hubs expected by next summer. This builds upon last month’s announcement of $75 million for three new Quantum Leap Challenges Institutes awarded by NSF.

DOE Quantum Information Science Research Centers. To establish the QIS Research Centers, the Department of Energy is awarding $625 million over five years to DOE’s Argonne, Brookhaven, Fermi, Oak Ridge and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories, subject to appropriations. Each QIS Center incorporates a collaborative research team spanning multiple scientific and engineering disciplines and multiple institutions.

This award was met with $340 million in contributions from the private sector and academia. The centers will focus on a range of key QIS research topics including quantum networking, sensing, computing, and materials manufacturing. Click here for the full list of DOE’s QIS Centers.

The National Quantum Initiative Act, bipartisan legislation signed by President Trump in 2018, called for the creation of research centers nationwide to accelerate foundational QIS research and development.

Earlier this year, President Trump committed to doubling investment in AI and QIS research and development over two years.