DE-FOA-0003130 Request for Information on Access to High Performance Computing Resources at Department of Energy National Labs | DE FOA 0003130

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003130

DE-FOA-0003130 is not a traditional grant or funding call. It is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through the Golden Field Office, on behalf of two DOE offices: the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) and the Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Office (FECM). The RFI is essentially a fact-finding and listening exercise meant to help DOE understand how valuable high-performance computing (HPC) at DOE national laboratories is to U.S. manufacturers, and how industry participants have experienced DOE's existing High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI) efforts. The feedback is intended to shape DOE planning and strategy, and it may influence whether DOE later issues a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), but it does not commit DOE to doing so.

The main policy and programmatic goal behind the RFI is to better connect advanced HPC capabilities at national labs with real manufacturing needs, especially where computing can shorten development cycles, reduce prototyping costs, improve product performance, and support scale-up. DOE is particularly interested in hearing from U.S.-based small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs), which often have strong applied problems but limited access to cutting-edge computing, specialized simulation tools, or staff time to navigate complex HPC environments. At the same time, DOE also wants input from companies that have previously participated in DOE-funded HPC4EI projects, including HPC4Mfg (focused on manufacturing challenges) and HPC4Mtls (focused on materials challenges), as well as companies that have not participated before but might want to in the future. In practice, this means the RFI is trying to capture both demand-side perspectives (what manufacturers need and what barriers they face) and user-experience perspectives (what worked or did not work in prior engagements with national labs and HPC4EI).

Because it is an RFI rather than a competitive solicitation, there are no awards being offered, no application packages to submit, and no promise of future funding. DOE explicitly states that it is not accepting applications at this time, and there is no guarantee a future FOA will result from this outreach. Just as importantly, DOE notes that responding does not provide any advantage or disadvantage in any future competition. Any eventual details about award size, number of awards, or schedule would depend on future decisions and Congressional appropriations. DOE also makes clear that it will not reimburse any costs associated with preparing an RFI response, and it is not obligated to acknowledge receipt or provide individualized feedback.

Substantively, the RFI is organized around three broad content categories that respondents can choose from depending on what is most relevant to them. Category A focuses on respondent type, which helps DOE understand who is providing input (for example, manufacturer size and sector, role in the supply chain, past participation in HPC4EI, and other background that helps DOE interpret the feedback). Category B focuses on the value of HPC to industry, which is where manufacturers can describe the business and technical impact they see from access to large-scale computing, such as faster design optimization, improved process modeling, digital twins, materials discovery, reduced downtime, better quality control, energy efficiency improvements, emissions reduction, or accelerated qualification and certification processes. Category C focuses on experiences with the HPC4EI program, which invites practical feedback on how prior engagements worked in reality: how easy it was to get started, whether project timelines aligned with business needs, whether the lab partnership model fit the company, the usability of computing resources and software stacks, data management and IP considerations, workforce and training gaps, and what changes would make future programs more accessible and useful, particularly for smaller firms.

The RFI also lays out straightforward submission rules. Responses were due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, August 25, 2023, with the note that late submissions might not be considered. Comments had to be submitted by email to hpc4ei-rfi@llnl.gov, and DOE requested Word or PDF formats. Respondents were asked to include their name and their organization (if any), and to cite "HPC4EI RFI Response" in correspondence. If a response relied on references, studies, research results, or other empirical data that were not widely published, DOE asked that copies of those materials be included. Another important practical point is that all comments submitted in response to this RFI become a matter of public record, and relevant comments would generally be made available on the HPC4Mfg website, which means companies should be thoughtful about confidential business information, proprietary data, or anything they would not want disclosed publicly.

In terms of official listing details, the opportunity is categorized under discretionary programs and listed with a funding instrument type of "Other," reflecting that it is an information request rather than a grant. It is associated with the energy activity category and CFDA number 81.086, and eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any entity type), subject to clarifications in the full text. The posting date was July 21, 2023, with the closing date of August 25, 2023. Overall, the RFI is best understood as an opportunity for manufacturers and other stakeholders to influence how DOE designs future pathways for industry to access national lab HPC resources, particularly through programs like HPC4Mfg and HPC4Mtls, by providing candid feedback on value, barriers, and program design improvements.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DE-FOA-0003130 Request for Information on Access to High Performance Computing Resources at Department of Energy National Labs" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.086.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 21, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 25, 2023 Comments must be received by 1159 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, August 25, 2023. Submissions received after that date may not be considered.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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