The U.S. Department of Energy announced on Thursday that its upcoming supercomputer, named "Doudna" and scheduled for deployment in 2026, will utilize technology from Nvidia and Dell. Named after Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna, renowned for her pioneering work in CRISPR gene editing, the new system will be located at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California.

At an event at the lab, attended by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, officials revealed that the system will incorporate Nvidia’s new “Vera Rubin” chips, integrated into liquid-cooled Dell servers. The supercomputer will serve around 11,000 researchers across various fields. “This will push forward discoveries in chemistry, physics, and biology,” Wright stated during a press briefing. Doudna noted that her early CRISPR research was supported by the Department of Energy, and highlighted how biology is increasingly intersecting with computing.

Beyond scientific research, the Department of Energy’s supercomputers also support the design and upkeep of the U.S. nuclear weapons program. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang emphasized the importance of such machines, saying, “Scientific supercomputers are among the most powerful tools humanity has for advancing knowledge. They’re crucial for innovation, national security, and technological leadership.”

Huang's comments came shortly after he praised former President Donald Trump, while also criticizing current U.S. export restrictions on selling advanced Nvidia chips to China—a policy he said has cost the company billions in revenue. Meanwhile, bipartisan concerns about national security surfaced, with Senators Jim Banks and Elizabeth Warren addressing a letter to Huang over Nvidia's plans to set up an R&D center in Shanghai. Senator Tom Cotton also took to social media, warning companies that any violations of export controls regarding AI chips would be met with serious consequences.