Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure

The National Science Foundation Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) is a civilian agency within the National Science Foundation (NSF) that focuses on supporting the development and deployment of advanced computing resources, data management systems, and software tools to enable scientific research and discovery. OAC leads NSF's cyberinfrastructure ecosystem, providing researchers across all disciplines with access to computational resources, data services, and technical expertise necessary for modern scientific inquiry. The office plays a critical role in advancing the nation's capabilities in high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, data science, and other computational technologies that underpin cutting-edge research.

The grant portfolio demonstrates OAC's substantial investment in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) infrastructure, with numerous awards supporting AI-focused projects across diverse scientific domains. Recent grants include $896,755 to Internet2 for the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot program, $237,951 to the University of Washington for developing privacy-preserving biomedical data access methods, and multiple awards to institutions developing AI applications in areas like poverty eradication, protein structure prediction, and health monitoring. Additional AI-related investments include REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) sites focused on trustworthy AI at Rochester Institute of Technology ($464,781) and AI applications at the University of Chicago ($466,338), indicating OAC's commitment to both advancing AI research capabilities and developing the next generation of AI researchers.

OAC places significant emphasis on enhancing campus and regional cyberinfrastructure to democratize access to advanced computing resources. Recent grants include $628,773 to San Jose State University Research Foundation for a high-performance computing cluster, $585,603 to Michigan State University for a campus-wide data hub, and $813,699 to the University of Massachusetts for the HARMONY regional computing cluster serving New England institutions. The office has also funded multiple planning grants ranging from $100,000 to $200,000 to help institutions develop comprehensive cyberinfrastructure strategies, particularly targeting institutions serving underrepresented populations. These planning grants at institutions like Chicago State University, Bowdoin College, and Arkansas State University demonstrate OAC's commitment to expanding research computing capabilities beyond traditional research-intensive universities.

The grant data reveals OAC's focus on specialized cyberinfrastructure development for emerging research areas and educational initiatives. Notable investments include $589,274 to Johns Hopkins University for causality-informed probabilistic AI infrastructure for disaster modeling, $300,000 to Georgia Tech for visualization tools to understand protein structure prediction models, and $973,521 to the Colorado School of Mines for radiocarbon data management infrastructure supporting climate research. Educational programs are prominently supported, with multiple REU site grants to institutions like the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire ($459,810), the University of Texas at Austin ($415,005), and Mississippi State University ($284,596) focusing on providing undergraduates with hands-on experience in high-performance computing, cybersecurity, and computational sciences. These grants emphasize developing diverse talent pipelines and broadening participation in computational research fields.