PSN-2027032940.pdf

National Laboratory of the Rockies Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF)

HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING

PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE

November 9, 2026

PSN-2027032940

Introduction:

The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) is the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) primary national laboratory for energy systems research and development. As the energy systems laboratory, NLR’s unique strength lies in developing and integrating a broad array of energy technologies into robust, reliable systems, bridging foundational research with practical applications to lower energy costs, drive economic growth, bolster national security, and deliver abundant and reliable energy.

The Alliance for Energy Innovation, on behalf of NLR, located in Golden, Colorado intends to release a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the next-generation high-performance computing (HPC) system to be installed at NLR’s ESIF. The primary objective of the ESIF-HPC-4 procurement is to provide the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation’s (CMEI) with a flagship HPC system, hosted and stewarded by NLR, that advances applied energy research, technology validation, and deployment.

This pre-solicitation notice is being issued to provide industry with advance awareness of NLR's anticipated procurement approach and schedule for ESIF-HPC-4. This notice is for informational and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. Interested parties should monitor NLR procurement communications at https://www.nlr.gov/workingwithus/procurement-opps and https://www.Sam.Gov for the release of the official solicitation package and any associated amendments.

https://www.nlr.gov/workingwithus/procurement-opps https://www.sam.gov/

RFP Synopsis:

The ESIF-HPC-4 system will provide the computational capability needed to support CMEI’s research and technology priorities through the 2028-2032 timeframe. The system must be compatible with the ESIF data center, which balances energy efficiency with computational performance. To meet these needs, NLR intends to procure a computational resource that delivers the majority of compute cycles through GPU-based nodes, complemented by integrated performance and capacity storage tiers and a high-speed interconnect to support HPC and advanced accelerated workloads.

NLR targets a system with workload throughput performance of at least two times (2X) the current system, Kestrel, for CMEI mission workloads, with options to expand capacity and capabilities as mission needs evolve. Details about Kestrel can be found at this URL:

https://www.nlr.gov/hpc/kestrel-computing-system.html

Anticipated Budget:

NLR plans for an initial base system cost between $40 million and $50 million to cover hardware, software, and implementation services. NLR plans for maintenance costs separately from the initial $40-50 million. Maintenance costs should be limited to no more than 5% of the initial system cost per year.

Key Steps & Timing:

• Jan 2027: Release ESIF-HPC-4 RFP requesting full scope, maintenance pricing, and optional add-ons.

• Mar 2027: Select ESIF-HPC 4 vendor.

• April 2027: Award ESIF-HPC-4 vendor within 3-4 weeks after receipt of proposals.

Proposal Factors:

Following the release of the anticipated RFP, planned for January 2027, NLR anticipates reviewing submitted proposals that specifically address the following (subject to change with the release of the RFP):

Resource Performance NLR seeks a system with high delivered performance, where the performance of the particular resource is measured by, but not limited to, performance on the ESIF-HPC-4 benchmark suite will be favored. The resources include:

• Accelerated computational units

• File Systems and associated storage components

• High-Performance Interconnect

• Other architectural features that affect the performance of the system

Facility and Site Integration NLR seeks a system that exceeds facilities critical specifications associated with the environmental parameters of the facility. This includes but is not limited to lower pressure drops, higher inlet water temperatures, robust system telemetry, and higher return water temperature from the HPC equipment, and energy efficient power supplies.

Manageability, Reliability, Serviceability, and Usability NLR seeks a system with features that meet or exceed the manageability, reliability, serviceability, and usability thresholds given in the technical specifications. Such features should improve the usability, manageability, reliability, and serviceability of the system, which reduces the total cost of ownership, maximizes the productivity of users, and improves the utilization of the system through higher availability and enhanced ability to diagnose and address issues.

Risk and Past Performance NLR seeks a system that reduces risk related to meeting NLR milestones associated with the installation of the ESIF-HPC-4 resource. Demonstrated past performance of the Offeror, including the Offeror's recent ability to deliver projects of similar size, scope, complexity, and cost, is a notable factor to establishing confidence in an ability to deliver the ESIF-HPC-4 project successfully.

Collaboration, Partnership and other Factors NLR seeks offers that look beyond simply installing HPC and related equipment. The NLR ESIF is a collaborative research hub for future-ready, secure, reliable, and affordable energy technologies. As the home of NLR’s HPC systems, the ESIF data center serves as a living laboratory where advanced computing, intelligent workloads, and physical energy systems converge. Within this environment, NLR’s HPC systems are tightly integrated with experimental facilities to enable rapid materials screening, digital twins, hardware-in-the-loop experimentation, and real-time experimental steering. NLR welcomes proposals that foster innovation across the full stack from advanced semiconductor technologies and system architecture to facility integration and grid-responsive operations.

NLR welcomes proposals that include substantial future collaboration and partnership with the successful Offeror. These could take the form of joint institutes, a new center of excellence, co-development of intelligent-optimized and power-efficient computing architecture, product testing and validation within a grid-connected research environment, or coordinated product announcements. Proposed opportunities should be mutually beneficial to both organizations and be consistent with NLR’s leadership role in applied energy research and energy innovation.