Trump’s higher ed compact, supercomputers at national labs, and more

DOE to build nine new supercomputers at national labs

The Department of Energy announced nine new supercomputers, to be built at three national labs in partnership with technology companies. Some will be operational as early as next year, and one at Argonne National Lab is planned to be the largest AI supercomputer within the lab system, DOE said. In their announcements, the labs said the new computers will accelerate scientific AI models and discoveries.

The announcements do not note how much of the funding for each supercomputer will come from the private partners, which include HPE, Nvidia, AMD, and Oracle.

DOE’s announcement for the Oak Ridge National Lab supercomputers states that “with more than $1 billion in public-private investment, DOE, together with AMD and HPE, is delivering new AI capacity in record time.” The announcement from Los Alamos National Lab states that “the project will be supported through anticipated future funding, contingent upon the availability of appropriations.”

Conservative colleges poised to sign Trump higher ed compact

While most universities invited to sign the Trump administration’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education have rejected the offer, two small conservative-leaning colleges have expressed interest in signing the agreement: New College of Florida, a small public liberal arts college, and Valley Forge Military College in Pennsylvania.

Trump’s higher ed compact, which promises preferential access to federal funding in exchange for commitments to the Trump administration’s political agenda, has been criticized by many higher education leaders. A statement by the American Council on Education and other university groups said the “compact’s prescriptions threaten to undermine the very qualities that make our system exceptional.”

Former DOGE employee now head of naval research

Rachel Riley, a Department of Government Efficiency official who pushed for deep staff cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services, is now in charge of the Office of Naval Research. Riley replaced Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus, who is now commanding the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command.

Riley was a partner at McKinsey prior to becoming a senior adviser at HHS, where she reportedly recommended laying off nearly 8,000 employees — a move that was scaled back significantly and has been temporarily blocked by a federal court.

The Office of Naval Research manages a $2.5 billion annual budget and plays a central role in setting the facilities and administrative costs, or indirect costs, covered by federal research grants. The Trump administration attempted to significantly cut indirect cost rates earlier this year but was blocked by courts. University groups have been pushing a new financial model to split costs.

DOE renews quantum research centers

The Department of Energy renewed its five National Quantum Information Science Research Centers in early November, awarding $625 million in funding over five years, including $125 million from fiscal year 2025. The total matches the funding targets set in the National Quantum Initiative Act that established the centers in 2018. Each NQI center is led by an Office of Science national lab. Congress has expressed interest in reauthorizing the NQI Act. The House Science Committee advanced bipartisan reauthorization legislation in the previous Congress, but the bill did not reach a vote in the full House.

Meanwhile, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has selected 11 participants to advance to the second stage of the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, which aims to assess whether a useful quantum computer can be produced by 2033. The selected companies, which include IBM, IonQ, and Atom Computing, will develop detailed R&D plans for quantum computers. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that the latter two companies were considering deals with the Trump administration to exchange equity for at least $10 million in funding awards. The Commerce Department denied the report.