Pose: phase II: cardinal: an open-source ecosystem for high-fidelity multiphysics for energy applications

The National Science Foundation awarded the University of Illinois $1.5 million on August 1, 2026, under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084) to develop and expand Cardinal, an open-source software framework for high-fidelity multiphysics simulation of energy systems including fission reactors, fusion power plants, and accelerators.

The project, running through July 31, 2028, builds a sustainable open-source ecosystem for Cardinal by establishing curated verification and validation suites to enable reproducible and interoperable applications; developing tutorials and conducting workshops for users and prospective contributors; implementing a governance model through a change control board with risk and security protocols; improving software packaging, deployment, and testing infrastructure; launching a Cardinal Fellows Program to onboard new core developers; and creating developer-oriented documentation to position Cardinal as a central platform for customizing physics simulations. The effort expands Cardinal's reach into radiation therapy, space exploration, and geothermal energy applications beyond its initial energy-sector focus.

Work is performed in Urbana, Illinois. Sub-awards are planned but details of sub-recipient deliverables are not specified in the award notice.

Abstract

Cardinal is an open-source software framework used for simulation of energy systems and their enabling research technologies, such as fission reactors, fusion power plants, and accelerators. IT allows engineers to design, optimize, and regulate energy technologies by filling a key need for predictive evaluation of turbulent fluid flows, heat transfer, and neutron and photon radiation fluxes in these complex energy systems. This project continues to grow the usability and functionality of the cardinal system, while also expanding its community into other important areas of high-energy research such as radiation therapy, space exploration, and geothermal energy. This project builds an open-source ecosystem (OSE) for cardinal through a multi-faceted effort. The new ecosystem creates curated verification and validation suites allowing reproducible and interoperable applications of cardinal. The team generates tutorials and runs workshops on how to use cardinal and how to contribute to the growth of cardinal. A robust governance model is implemented through a change control board which also enforces a risk and security plan to ensure quality assurance processes benefit all users. Improved software packaging, deployment, and testing is pursued to support new and existing users. A cardinal fellows program onboards new members to the core developer team and assists the expansion into new disciplines. New developer-oriented documentation positions cardinal as a central platform for customizing high-fidelity physics simulations. The outcome of this project is a sustainable, distributed, open community of users/developers tackling the world's largest challenges in energy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.