Ian Teasley/WTKR

By: Maria-Paula

Virginia lawmakers recently gathered at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Jefferson Lab, to celebrate the U.S. Department of Energy, DOE, meritorious selection of Jefferson Lab as the Hub Director for the new High Performance Data Facility (HPDF).
When built, the integrated HPDF Hub design, a scientific user facility and partnership between Jefferson Lab and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), will specialize in advanced infrastructure for data-intensive science with the two labs forming a joint project team.
U.S. senators, Mark R. Warner, Tim Kaine, and other colleagues, note that they have “worked tirelessly to best position Virginia for selection to host the HPDF by stressing the Jefferson lab’s capabilities and potential for growth”. Together with Virginia Gov. Youngkin, the lawmakers worked with the Virginia General Assembly to secure over $40 million in funds for the planning and construction of a shell building to house the HPDF, a bipartisan feat that demonstrated Virginia’s support of Jefferson Lab’s mission and commitment to this project.
This latest news follows an announcement last year by Warner and Kaine that over $76 million in federal funding to Jefferson Lab for project support and infrastructure upgrades. Those investments were made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed by one vote and was supported by both senators.
The HPDFs mission to enable and accelerate scientific discovery by delivering state-of-the-art data management infrastructure, capabilities, and tools project is envisioned as a national resource to serve as the foundation for advancing DOE’s ambitious Integrated Research Infrastructure (IRI) program.
“From Day One of my Administration, we’ve been working with leaders in our delegation, in our General Assembly, and at Jefferson Lab to secure the High-Performance Data Facility, an asset that will accelerate research driven economic development in the commonwealth. I was proud to work with General Assembly leaders to make a $40 million investment to help land this prize that will catalyze our economy for decades to come. Our Administration will continue to support the cutting-edge technological research that has established the Commonwealth as a nationwide leader in innovation,” said Youngkin.
IRI will give researchers the ability to seamlessly meld DOE’s unique data resources, experimental user facilities, and advanced computing resources to accelerate the pace of discovery. The HPDF on the other hand will provide a crucial national resource for artificial intelligence (AI) research by opening new approaches for the nation’s researchers to tackle fundamental problems in science and engineering that require nimble, shared access to large data sets, and real-time analysis of streamed data from experiments. With DOE being a leading producer of scientific data in the world, the HPDF will deliver a platform for a broad spectrum of data-intensive research in the era of exascale supercomputing and exascale data.
“The selection of Jefferson Lab as the location and lead of the High-Performance Data Facility is a monumental win for the Lab, Hampton Roads, and the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Warner. “Since my days as governor, I have pushed to broaden the mission and responsibilities of Jefferson Lab to reflect the current needs of our nation. Today’s announcement is a massive step towards realizing the goal of diversifying the mission of Jefferson Lab by providing the Lab with a critical national resource that will be used to tackle fundamental problems in science and engineering, including artificial intelligence research.”
Warner expressed his appreciation to Secretary Granholm and the Department of Energy’s commitment to ensuring the U.S. can pave the way for the next generation of advanced data management by providing Jefferson Lab the opportunity to lead this world-class project.
“Jefferson Lab’s designation as the leader of the High-Performance Data Facility is a powerful recognition of the contributions Virginians make to the research we need to remain at the cutting-edge of technological innovation,” said Kaine. “I’m proud to have helped advocate for this designation, and for years have gone to bat through the annual government funding process to support Jefferson Lab’s work. I will continue to do all that I can to secure the resources Virginia scientists need to advance America’s competitiveness and supercomputing capabilities.”
Jefferson lab director, Stuart Henderson, expressed appreciation in the trust accorded to the organization with the construction of a new facility that will revolutionize the way to make scientific discoveries. He said building on their extensive experience with large data sets and high-performance computing, accompanied with the new and ongoing partnerships is a step in the right direction to exploring state-of-the-art approaches to data and data science.
Congressmen Bobby Scott, Rob Wittman and Monty Mason all took pride in supporting the move together with other leaders in the local, state and federal levels. They shared the opinion that Jefferson Lab as a leader in nuclear research is an investment that will unlock vital data science advancements for the Hampton Roads region, the commonwealth, and the nation at large in the coming years. Hundreds of new jobs with salaries well over the region’s median income, a boost in the local economy, and further solidification of the Virginia peninsula as a leader in science innovation are benefits Jefferson Lab will bring to the commonwealth.
“The collaboration between members of the Virginia General Assembly and our federal delegation to bring a High-Performance Data Facility to Jefferson Lab. As chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, I am excited that the Commonwealth’s investment will leverage between $300 million to$500 million in federal funds for this transformative opportunity,” said State Delegate and Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee Barry Knight.
Dr. Sean J. Hearne, president and CEO of the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) echoed the view that the HPDF marked the beginning of an unparalleled chapter for the laboratory and the wider educational community. He emphasized that the research facility will serve as a gateway to explore the rapidly expanding realm of data science, offering extensive research and educational opportunities that are poised to redefine the world. Specifically, the HPDF will have a “hub-and-spoke” model in which Jefferson Lab and LBNL will host mirrored centralized resources. It will enable high priority DOE mission applications at “spoke” sites by deploying and orchestrating distributed infrastructure at the spokes or other locations. Under Jefferson Lab’s leadership, the Jefferson Lab/LBNL partnership will assemble a world class HPDF Hub project team to deliver a geographically resilient and innovative HPDF core infrastructure capable of meeting the needs of a wide diversity of users, institutions, and use cases.
This Jefferson Lab-led partnership will itself provide the template for the first spokes partnerships and blaze new paths in institutional engagement and outreach in the emerging era of AI- enabled integrated science. “The Friends of Jefferson Lab, a coalition of business leaders spanning from Richmond to the oceanfront, are delighted Jefferson Lab has been chosen as the site for the high-performance data facility,” said Alan Witt, Chair of Friends of Jefferson Lab.
“Jefferson Lab is a vital asset to Hampton Roads and the addition of this facility will add greatly to the economic, scientific, and educational fabric of the Virginia Peninsula, Hampton Roads, and the Commonwealth of Virginia.” As identified in the DOE’s Mission Need Statement for the High-Performance Data Facility approved August 2020, DOE anticipates that the total project cost of the HPDF project, including the hub and spokes, will be between $300million and $500 million in current and future year funds, subject to the availability of future year appropriations.