National Laboratory of the Rockies Energy Systems Integration Facility High Performance Computing Request for Information

The Department of Energy Office of Science, through the National Laboratory of the Rockies, is preparing to procure a replacement high-performance computing system (ESIF-HPC-4) for the Energy Systems Integration Facility and intends to solicit proposals with anticipated contract award in June 2027.

This is a market-research RFI only; submission does not guarantee inclusion in any future RFP. NLR seeks a GPU-accelerated HPC system with complementary CPU-based compute nodes (less than 15 percent of total cycles), high-speed MPI 4.0+ compatible interconnect, and dual-tier storage (50+ PB parallel file system at 500GB/s performance and 50PB AI-optimized storage at 100GB/s). The anticipated workload encompasses artificial intelligence and machine learning (emphasis on large language models and generative AI), large-scale modeling and simulation with high-precision computing and multi-node scaling, and hybrid/data-intensive workloads including digital twins and edge computing.

Place of performance is Golden, Colorado. NLR operates a warm-water cooled data center with 10MW available power and prefers 480V three-phase power feeds up to 150A and full direct liquid cooling for compute nodes. Facility cooling operates at 60–75°F supply temperature with water return temperature of 37°C or warmer suitable for waste heat capture.

Phase 1 delivery is anticipated in December 2027; Phase 2 potential delivery is May 2029. RFI responses are due by June 17, 2026, 5:00 PM MST, with extended Q&A closing June 27, 2026. Respondents must address payment structures (lease-to-own, milestone-based, or alternative models), early-access hardware availability, consumption-based cloud compute feasibility, and emerging cooling and power technologies with availability timelines. Submit responses as Adobe PDF or Microsoft Word to ASP.Responses@nlr.gov with subject line RFI-2026029603.