Jan. 8—Both of New Mexico’s national laboratories will participate in a new microelectronics science research center, something the federal government hopes will help ward off an energy crisis partly driven by artificial intelligence before it starts.
The Microelectronics Energy Efficiency Research Center for Advanced Technologies, or MEERCAT, will host eight energy efficiency-related research projects, including one led by Sandia National Laboratories and one led by Los Alamos National Laboratory.
It’s one of three centers recently created by the U.S. Department of Defense, providing a total of $179 million for 16 “multidisciplinary, fundamental research projects” for up to four years, Sandia announced last week.
“We face an unprecedented microelectronics energy efficiency challenge,” said Jeffrey Nelson, the principal investigator for Sandia’s project, in a statement. “Computing alone is projected to consume a significant portion of the total planetary energy production within a decade.”
AI uses more energy than conventional computer algorithms, according to Sandia, and there’s been a growth in other energy-intensive technologies like quantum computing and advanced sensors.
Sandia will lead one of the energy-efficiency projects at the center and will partner on another project on extreme environments led by LANL.
Nelson said collaboration, like on computer chip research, will help “accelerate the innovation discovery process and make a positive impact on economic and national security.”