US cuts a $1 billion deal with AMD to build two new AI Supercomputers
AMD will power two new AI supercomputers in the US, using MI355X and MI430X accelerators
The US Department of Energy has announced a $1 billion deal under which AMD will deliver two next-generation supercomputers to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). These systems are designed to expand the US’s leadership in artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC).
What’s strange about this deal is that it is a public-private partnership. ORNL will host the datacenters behind these new Supercomputers, and AMD, HPE, and Oracle will provide the hardware. The US will presumably power these systems, and both sides of the agreement will share their computational power. This will allow both sides to train advanced AI models and complete mindbending computational tasks.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright says that these AI supercomputers will be used to solve big scientific problems. Wright claims that these systems will “supercharge” the US’ nuclear power and fusion research. These supercomputers will also be used to create new cancer treatments and work in areas of “national security”.
New supercomputers with current-gen and next-gen AMD technology
AMD plans to deliver the first of these new AI systems in early 2026, using AMD Instinct MI355X accelerators, AMD EPYC CPUs, and AMD Pensando networking technologies. This system will be co-developed by AMD, ORNL, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, and HPE. This supercomputer will meet the US’ immediate need for the Department of Energy’s AI ambitions. Note that AMD and the DOE have not disclosed the computational power of either of these new AI systems.
The US’ second AI supercomputer is Discovery, and it is intended to replace Frontier, the US’ first Exascale Supercomputer. Note that this system will use AMD’s next-generation AMD Instinct MI430X accelerator, which is “engineered specifically for sovereign AI and scientific computing”. Furthermore, it will use AMD’s next-generation Zen 6 EPYC “Venice” CPUs. Note that this system is due to be delivered in 2028.
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