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The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded ɫ���� and its partners $20 million to build a powerful new supercomputer that will use artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate scientific breakthroughs. 

Called Nexus will help scientists tackle urgent challenges such as developing new medicines, advancing clean energy, understanding how the brain works, and driving manufacturing innovations. 

“ɫ���� is proud to be one of the nation’s leading sources of the AI talent and technologies that are powering a revolution in our economy,” said Ángel Cabrera, president of . “It’s fitting we’ve been selected to host this new supercomputer, which will support a new wave of AI-centered innovation across the nation. We’re grateful to the NSF, and we are excited to get to work.” 

Designed from the ground up for AI, Nexus will give researchers across the country access to advanced computing tools through a simple, user-friendly interface. It will support work in many fields, including climate science, health, aerospace, and robotics. 

“The Nexus system's novel approach combining support for persistent scientific services with more traditional high-performance computing will enable new science and AI workflows that will accelerate the time to scientific discovery,” said Katie Antypas, director of the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure. “We look forward to adding Nexus to NSF's portfolio of advanced computing capabilities for the research community.” 

Nexus Supercomputer — In Simple Terms 

• Built for the future of science: Nexus is designed to power the most demanding AI research — from curing diseases to understanding how the brain works to engineering quantum materials. 

• Blazing fast: Nexus can crank out over 400 quadrillion operations per second — the equivalent of everyone in the world continuously performing 50 million calculations every second. 

• Massive brain + memory: Nexus combines the power of AI and high-performance computing, with 330 trillion bytes of memory to handle complex problems and giant datasets. 

• Storage: Nexus will feature 10 quadrillion bytes of flash storage, equivalent to about 10 billion reams of paper. Stacked, that’s a column reaching 500,000 km high — enough to stretch from Earth to the Moon and a third of the way back. 

• Supercharged connections: Nexus will have lightning-fast connections to move data almost instantaneously, so researchers do not waste time waiting. 

• Open to U.S. researchers: Scientists from any U.S. institution can apply to use Nexus. 

Why Now? 

AI is rapidly changing how science is investigated. Researchers use AI to analyze massive datasets, model complex systems, and test ideas faster than ever before. But these tools require powerful computing resources that — until now — have been inaccessible to many institutions. 

This is where Nexus comes in. It will make state-of-the-art AI infrastructure available to scientists all across the country, not just those at top tech hubs. 

“This supercomputer will help level the playing field,” said Suresh Marru, principal investigator of the Nexus project and director of ɫ����’s new (ARTISAN). “It’s designed to make powerful AI tools easier to use and available to more researchers in more places.” 

Srinivas Aluru, Regents’ Professor and senior associate dean in the , said, “With Nexus, ɫ���� joins the league of academic supercomputing centers. This is the culmination of years of planning, including building the state-of-the-art CODA data center and Nexus’ precursor supercomputer project, HIVE." 

Like Nexus, HIVE was supported by NSF funding. Both Nexus and the HIVE are supported by a partnership between ɫ����’s research and information technology units. 

A National Collaboration 

ɫ���� is building Nexus in partnership with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which runs several of the country’s top academic supercomputers. The two institutions will link their systems through a new high-speed network, creating a national research infrastructure. 

“Nexus is more than a supercomputer — it’s a symbol of what’s possible when leading institutions work together to advance science,” said Charles Isbell, chancellor of the and former dean of ɫ����’s College of Computing. “I'm proud that my two academic homes have partnered on this project that will move science, and society, forward.” 

Tech companies, whose technologies will power the system, will also play a role. 

What’s Next 

ɫ���� will begin building Nexus this year, with its expected completion in spring 2026.  Once Nexus is finished, researchers can apply for access through an NSF review process. ɫ���� will manage the system, provide support, and reserve up to 10% of its capacity for its own campus research. 

“This is a big step for ɫ���� and for the scientific community,” said Vivek Sarkar, the John P. Imlay Dean of Computing. “Nexus will help researchers make faster progress on today’s toughest problems — and open the door to discoveries we haven’t even imagined yet.”