Major Projects
ORNL is advancing a portfolio of major projects that strengthen U.S. leadership in science, energy, national security and advanced technology. These investments expand the nation’s capabilities in neutron science, isotope production, fusion energy, high-performance computing, nuclear security and discovery science while modernizing the infrastructure needed to deliver on U.S. Department of Energy missions for decades to come.
U.S. ITER
US ITER, managed by ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, delivers U.S. contributions to ITER, the international fusion facility being built to study burning plasma at power-plant scale. The project helps advance the scientific and engineering foundation needed for practical fusion energy.
Second Target Station
The Second Target Station will add a new neutron source at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source, creating transformative capabilities for materials research, quantum matter, energy storage, biotechnology, structural materials and polymers. Together with SNS’s First Target Station and HFIR, it is intended to help maintain U.S. leadership in neutron science.
Proton Power Upgrade
The Proton Power Upgrade increases the Spallation Neutron Source’s proton beam power, improving neutron research capabilities at the First Target Station and supporting the planned Second Target Station. The upgrade is already helping researchers collect better data faster across materials, energy and technology research.
Discovery
Discovery is ORNL’s next leadership-class supercomputer and the planned successor in the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility’s history of deploying world-leading systems for open science. The system is being designed for the AI era and will support the convergence of AI, high-performance computing and quantum computing.
Stable Isotope Production and Research Center
The Stable Isotope Production and Research Center, or SIPRC, will expand the nation’s ability to enrich stable isotopes for medicine, industry, research and national security. The facility is part of ORNL’s broader effort to strengthen domestic isotope supply chains and reduce reliance on foreign sources.
American Science Cloud
The American Science Cloud is envisioned as a secure, integrated, science-optimized environment that connects DOE computing and experimental facilities. At ORNL, it is tied to the Genesis Mission and the lab’s work to accelerate AI-enabled, autonomous science.
Material Plasma Exposure Experiment
The Material Plasma Exposure Experiment, or MPEX, is a next-generation linear plasma device designed to study how plasma interacts with materials over long periods of time. Its research will help identify and test materials needed for future fusion reactors, especially components exposed to extreme plasma conditions.
LEGEND-1000
LEGEND-1000 is a major neutrino experiment designed to search for neutrinoless double beta decay, a never-before-observed process that could reshape scientists’ understanding of matter and the universe. ORNL brings decades of expertise in detector science, ultra-pure materials and large-scale experiment management to the international collaboration.
Radioisotope Processing Facility
The Radioisotope Processing Facility is planned to expand ORNL’s ability to process radioisotopes for medicine, national security, industry, space exploration and scientific research. Once operational, it will help meet growing demand for radioisotopes that are not currently produced in sufficient volumes.
Domestic Uranium Enrichment Centrifuge Experiment
The Domestic Uranium Enrichment Centrifuge Experiment, or DUECE, supports the national need for domestically enriched uranium. The ORNL-based pilot plant is part of a broader effort to restore and strengthen U.S. uranium enrichment capabilities for future national security needs.