Multiple USC-led projects receive U.S. Department of Energy Genesis Mission awards to advance AI Six projects involving USC researchers — including three led by USC — were selected for the U.S. Department of Energy initiative to harness artificial intelligence for scientific discovery and innovation. USC is among the nation’s leading research universities selected to help advance the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission, a national initiative that unites universities and industry with the country’s 17 national laboratories to explore AI for scientific discovery. This week, six projects involving USC researchers, including three led by USC, were selected to receive Genesis Mission funding. Together, these six projects tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing the industries that power modern life, from energy and aviation to manufacturing and computing. Their research aims to enable faster, more energy-efficient computing, strengthen supplies of critical materials and develop AI-driven tools that help scientists solve problems too complex, costly or time-consuming for conventional approaches. “This outstanding achievement is a testament to the caliber of USC’s researchers and the growing momentum of our research enterprise,” said Ishwar K. Puri, USC’s senior vice president of research and innovation. “We are proud to help lead the national effort to build an AI-enabled scientific ecosystem, advancing bold ideas and interdisciplinary collaborations that will shape the future of scientific discovery,” he said. Building faster, more efficient computer chips Every time we stream a video, use generative AI or connect another smart device, computers must process more data while consuming as little energy as possible. Yet today’s computer chips are reaching their practical limits, making it increasingly difficult to deliver higher performance without dramatically increasing power consumption. Massoud Pedram, the Charles Lee Powell Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, is using AI to develop