NSF expands access to advanced cloud computing for scientific research

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $20 million grant to expand the NSF CloudBank, an initiative designed to accelerate science and engineering research through access to commercial cloud computing. Building upon the success of a previous pilot award, this expanded phase will significantly increase access to cutting-edge computing, artificial intelligence model access and other commercial cloud services, strengthening the U.S. science and technology workforce, and ensuring the nation remains at the forefront of global innovation.

Led by the San Diego Supercomputer Center and Information Technology Services Division at UC San Diego, in partnership with UC Berkeley's College of Computing, Data Science, and Society and the University of Washington's eScience Institute, CloudBank 2.0 will continue its collaboration with major cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, Microsoft Azure and NVIDIA's DGX Cloud. This will provide seamless access to commercial cloud computing, AI tools and model access, and advanced data processing capabilities.

"CloudBank 2.0 will further our mission to expand the ecosystem of available advanced computing, data and AI services available to the U.S. research community — from leading research universities to smaller institutions," said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. "By adding commercial cloud resources to NSF's offerings for researchers, NSF is committing to enhancing partnerships with the private sector. CloudBank 2.0 will leverage industry resources and expertise to strengthen public-private partnerships, accelerating innovation and scientific discovery."

“The United States must secure its position as the unrivaled world leader in critical and emerging technologies. American AI dominance is crucial to our national security and economic interests. To do this, we need to provide cutting-edge resources to our research community, and Cloudbank 2.0 does exactly that. Utilizing every tool in the toolbox to promote innovation and push our researchers to the next level is exactly how we’ll strength our position as the leader in artificial intelligence,” said OSTP Principal Deputy Director Lynne Parker.

CloudBank 2.0 services will be made available through NSF Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services & Support (ACCESS) program that facilitates the research community's access to a variety of advanced computing and data services and the National AI Research Resource pilot that supports computing, data, and model access in support of AI-related research. CloudBank 2.0 will expand the array of resources available to the research community, complementing NSF's long-running programs supporting on-premises advanced computing platforms.

It will also be a critical ingredient in achieving the vision for the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) pilot, serving as an interface for the contributions provided to the NAIRR Pilot by private sector partners. This investment in CloudBank 2.0 represents NSF's commitment to continued partnerships with the private sector in advancing AI and scientific innovation and discovery.

The initiative will support approximately 500 research projects annually over the next five years, enabling scientists across a wide range of disciplines to conduct high-impact studies that require substantial computing power. Researchers will apply through NSF's ACCESS and NAIRR pilot programs, which will match them to the most technologically appropriate and cost-effective resource for their research.

A key goal of CloudBank 2.0 is to make computing more accessible to institutions with limited resources, such as community colleges and smaller universities. These institutions often struggle to provide the necessary computing infrastructure needed for scientific research and AI-related efforts.

The program also emphasizes workforce development, equipping scientists, engineers and educators with the skills needed to succeed in data-driven fields. Through collaborations with educational institutions, CloudBank 2.0 will offer students hands-on experience with the same cloud technologies used by leading global companies, preparing them for careers in industries like health care, finance and AI.

Since its launch in 2020, CloudBank has facilitated hundreds of research projects and provided cloud-based teaching resources to nearly 1,500 students. Additionally, CloudBank has played a pivotal role in cloud-based education, developing scalable resources such as the Data 8 Community Hub, which has introduced cloud computing to hundreds of students across multiple community colleges and universities.