Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced on Monday its intention to invest $20 million in initiatives designed to elevate AI-driven solutions, particularly within the realms of manufacturing and cybersecurity.
- This investment will culminate in the establishment of two centers, forged in partnership with the nonprofit Mitre Corporation.
These centers are poised to promote the adoption and advancement of domestic autonomous software systems, thereby propelling AI innovation and enhancing national security. - Mitre will oversee the operation of both centers, as detailed in a separate communiqué. The nonprofit has also been entrusted with managing NIST’s National Cybersecurity Federally Funded Research and Development Center, which was initiated in 2014.
Dive Insight:
This financial commitment resonates with NIST’s overarching strategy aimed at cementing the United States’ position as a frontrunner in pivotal and emerging technologies, encompassing AI, quantum computing, biotechnology, and semiconductors.
NIST intends to leverage “existing resources” to amplify its expertise and implement directives suggested by the Trump administration’s AI action plan, unveiled in July, to achieve a state of “AI dominance.”
“Our goal is to dismantle barriers to American AI innovation and expedite the global application of our AI technologies,” stated Acting NIST Director Craig Burkhardt.
The expanded collaboration with Mitre is set to harness AI, empowering U.S. enterprises to enhance product manufacturing efficiencies and meet both domestic and international market demands.
Burkhardt emphasized that this partnership will also facilitate exploration and the commercialization of new technologies and devices, collaborating closely with academia and industry leaders.
The centers are designated as the AI Economic Security Center for U.S. Manufacturing Productivity and the AI Economic Security Center for Securing U.S. Critical Infrastructure Against Cyberthreats, though their specific locations have yet to be announced.
NIST anticipates that these AI centers will catalyze breakthroughs in applied science and technology, generating “disruptive innovative solutions” that address urgent challenges confronting the nation.
In the forthcoming months, the agency plans to reveal the victor of its open competition for a new Manufacturing USA institute, emphasizing AI in manufacturing, with a budget allocation of up to $70 million over a five-year horizon.
Source link: Manufacturingdive.com.
