DOE Secretary Chris Wright visits ORNL, urging more energy to fuel better AI
Secretary Wright said the international race for artificial intelligence is comparably referred to as "Manhattan Project 2.0"
Tennessee has been a leader in nuclear technology for the last several decades. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) fuel the relocation and creation of new nuclear innovations, organizations, companies, and technologies to the region.
To get a better understanding of the happenings in East Tennessee, the newly appointed Secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy, Chris Wright visited with Y-12, ORNL, TVA, and private-nuclear sector officials this week.
Driving his visit was the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) and whether or not the United States is in the position to compete with the technology on a global scale, and support the energy-consumption it requires.
In a press conference at the National lab on Friday, Wright kicked off by comparing the race for AI to the Manhattan Project.
“The Manhattan Project was really an urgent race with incredible consequences. Right as World War II started, Nazi Germany and the U.S. began a race to develop the first atomic weapon. Imagine the world today if the Nazis developed atomic weapons before the United States,” Wright said.
He continued by saying that now is an equally critical time for the United States to lock in on AI. As a relevant example, Liang Wenfeng, based in China, released DeepSeek in early January. It rivals U.S. technology that officials once thought to be an exclusive advantage. It was an indicator that perhaps we’re not as far ahead in the world race as we thought.
“We’re at the start of Manhattan Project two. It is critical. Critical, just like Manhattan Project One, that the United States wins this race,” Wright said.
At the press conference, Greg Brockman, one of the Co-Founders of Open AI, stood next to Secretary Wright, further emphasizing the importance of energy-readiness in the U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann also made remarks during the press conference.
Brockman said he joined the visit and press conference because of his personal and professional investment in AI research and energy consumption. Scientists at ORNL and all the national labs use AI everyday, and Brockman said this was the intended use of the technology.
“People are starting to see AI in their daily lives through consumer applications like Open AI’s ChatGPT and others. And I think that’s really important, because people can start to see how AI can benefit them, not just as an abstract idea, but as something very tangible that is going to be part of their daily lives,” he said.
He doubled down on the importance of using AI in things like drug discovery, materials processing, and complex problem solving.
” I think that this idea of having technology lift up everyone that’s very American, and I think that America leading an AI is so critical,” Brockman said, gesturing toward Secretary Wright.
Rep. Fleischmann is the Chairman of the Energy and Water Subcommittee of Appropriations, meaning he plays a large role in DOE funding.
“Oak Ridge was the birthplace of nuclear energy, new nuclear whether it’s advanced reactors, micro reactors, large reactors. We may be doing the research around the country – but we’re leading here,” Fleischmann said.
He also announced an initiative agreed upon by Secretary Wright, which is funding cleanup.
“New nuclear is clean. Today, everything is done right to protect our workers and our environment. But years ago, there was a legacy. It exists in this community and around the country, I am committed to funding that cleanup,” Fleischmann said.
Questions from reporters at the press conference surrounded the federal workforce and security of jobs at ORNL. To which Secretary Wright responded “Across the country, you’ll see some reduction in total headcount, but I don’t think here at a cutting edge national lab that will be an issue at all. I wouldn’t worry about that.”
Earlier in the day Secretary Wright and Brockman participated in a strategic planning session with about a thousand AI scientists and experts across the nation. These folks were from nine U.S. national laboratories, as well as private AI companies like OpenAI.
“If we want to win the AI arms race, we have to win the energy race,” Secretary Wright said.
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