New Frontiers is a program started by OLCF as the spiritual successor of the DesignForward/FastForward/PathForward programs. Its goal is “to enable the next generation of exascale supercomputers in the 2027 and beyond time frame.”1 At a high level, this can be interpreted as NRE that is independent of the procurement of a specific supercomputer.

The initial RFP was released on September 6, 2024 with a series of tear-off points that suggest awards may exceed $10M, and the ambition is that this RFP is the first of a perennial two-year program.2

However, New Frontiers is not (as of September 2024) aligned with the interests of any other Lab within the DOE complex; it is exclusively managed by ORNL.2

Footnotes

  1. New Frontiers RFP No. WS10688152181

  2. Bronson Messer, ASCAC Meeting in September 2024. 2