Argonne National Laboratory to Lead AI and Astronomy Research

Argonne is among a group of institutions chosen by the Simons Foundation and the US National Science Foundation to receive funding for the creation of the NSF-Simons AI Institute for the Sky (SkAI), an institute focused on AI and astronomy.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory is a major partner in the newly established NSF-Simons AI Institute for the Sky (SkAI, pronounced “sky”), led by Northwestern University. This initiative aims to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to unravel the mysteries of the cosmos.

Supported by a $20 million grant from the Simons Foundation and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), SkAI seeks to transform how scientists study the universe by developing advanced AI systems capable of managing the vast amounts of data generated by astronomical surveys.

Renowned for its expertise in AI and computational science, Argonne will contribute to the development of fundamental AI techniques that are quantitatively reliable. These AI tools will be used to process large datasets from future projects, such as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time conducted by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.

Argonne's contributions will also significantly enhance the SkAI Institute's efforts in computational cosmology. World-class simulations run on the DOE's exascale supercomputers will be crucial for understanding the universe at all scales.

By integrating these tools and capabilities, scientists will be better equipped to analyze data and gain insights into astrophysical phenomena such as black hole formation and galaxy evolution. The research will also focus on studying dark matter and dark energy, which play pivotal roles in the evolution of the universe and the formation of its structures.

Argonne is proud to be at the forefront of this transformative project.

Katrin Heitmann, Deputy Director, High Energy Physics Division, Argonne National Laboratory

Heitmann is also a member of the computational cosmology team at SkAI.

Heitmann added, “Our lab’s advanced computational capabilities are ideally suited for the challenges posed by the enormous datasets from astronomical surveys. By developing AI-driven solutions, we are accelerating discoveries that will reshape our understanding of the universe.”

SkAI unites a diverse team of more than 80 researchers from 25 institutions, led by Northwestern University and backed by Argonne and other partners. This collaboration includes the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, DOE's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the Adler Planetarium, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as several undergraduate education and research institutions, alongside industry and art organizations.

By integrating the SkAI Satellite Network, the SkAI team will also train a diverse and inclusive STEM workforce as part of its dedication to developing the next generation of scientists. Thirteen minority-serving institutions and two participating in the NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research initiative are among the 16 regional and national college partners that make up this network.

Additionally, the tools and methods developed by the SkAI team will be accessible to the global research community, ensuring that SkAI's impact extends well beyond its initial users.

SkAI is one of two newly announced National AI Research Institutes in Astronomy, with the NSF-Simons CosmicAI Institute led by the University of Texas at Austin. Established in 2020, the National AI Research Institutes reflect the U.S. government’s strong commitment to supporting long-term, foundational AI research.

In addition to Heitmann, other Argonne researchers on the SkAI team include Argonne Distinguished Fellow Valerie Taylor, director of the Mathematics and Computer Science division; Michael Papka, deputy associate laboratory director for the Computing, Environment and Life Sciences directorate and director of the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF); Sandeep Madireddy, computer scientist at Argonne and Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering (CASE) affiliate at the UChicago; and Salman Habib, director of Argonne's Computational Science division, who holds joint appointments at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. Located at Argonne, the ALCF is a DOE Office of Science user facility.