INSTITUTION PROFILE / MATERIALS INFORMATICS
U.S. Department of Energy
Research money, national laboratories and supercomputers under one roof: a major pillar of U.S. materials informatics
The Department of Energy (DOE) is a U.S. federal department and one of the largest funders of basic research in the physical sciences. What sets it apart is that it does not only hand out money: it owns national laboratories, large experimental facilities and supercomputers. In the Genesis Mission, launched by an executive order in November 2025 to speed up science with AI, DOE is the department that carries the work out. This profile looks at one question only: how much influence DOE has over materials informatics (MI).
- DOE in 30 seconds
- What kind of body it is: the four types of influence
- What it does for materials informatics
- How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)
- How the money and infrastructure flow
- Outlook
- Glossary, references and claim-to-source audit
1. DOE in 30 seconds
About 121,000 contractor employeesAs stated in DOE's strategic framework for FY2022 to FY2026. A current headcount could not be confirmed
DOE is unusual in having three things that matter to MI: research funding, experimental facilities and computers. NIST and NSF have fewer of them. But Congress decides how much money DOE gets, and the White House leads the Genesis Mission as a whole Sourced. The executive order itself says it is to be carried out "consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations" Sourced. So DOE is the body that carries out the work and uses the funds and facilities. It cannot order other agencies around, and it cannot set its own budget. We also could not find any published figure that isolates DOE's MI spending.
2. What kind of body it is: the four types of influence
Unlike companies, the institutions in MI articles do not sell new materials themselves. They can be sorted into four types by the route through which they influence the field. DOE belongs to the first type, "Funding".
On top of funding, DOE keeps experimental facilities and supercomputers at its national laboratories Sourced. That lets it influence both the machines that produce data and the computers that analyse it. But this power stops at the edge of the U.S. budget.
3. What it does for materials informatics
DOE's involvement falls into the following main areas. Everything was checked on 22 October 2026.
| Activity | What it is | Scale and amounts | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic-research funding (Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences) | Supports basic research on the physics and chemistry of matter, including Energy Frontier Research Centers, Innovation Hubs and computational materials and chemical sciences programs. It also supports research that uses AI and machine learning to speed up materials science | The Office of Science has US$8.25 billion in FY2026 enacted, of which Basic Energy Sciences has US$2.53 billion. An MI-only amount could not be found | Sourced |
| National laboratories and large facilities | DOE has 17 national laboratories. The Office of Science runs 27 user facilities (light sources, neutron sources, supercomputers and others), used by nearly 40,000 users a year | The Office of Science supports more than 21,000 researchers at over 300 institutions | Sourced |
| Materials Project (computed materials database) | A computed-materials database based at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. In DOE's data records its sponsoring organization is the Office of Science's Basic Energy Sciences. A 2013 paper presents it as a "materials genome approach" | The database's size could not be confirmed from DOE sources | Sourced |
| Role in the MGI | DOE staff are members of the MGI subcommittee (2021). The 2021 Strategic Plan describes research at DOE's Energy Innovation Hubs. DOE also issued a request for information on autonomous experimentation in support of the MGI | No amounts could be found | Sourced |
| Genesis Mission (speeding up science with AI) | Created by Executive Order 14363 on 24 November 2025. The Secretary of Energy implements it and runs the unified "American Science and Security Platform". DOE announced 26 challenges on 12 February 2026, including "Designing Materials with Predictable Functionality" and "Achieving AI-Driven Autonomous Laboratories" | A US$293 million call for proposals (17 March 2026). The FY2027 request asks for US$1.2 billion for a new AI and quantum office, which Congress has yet to decide | Sourced Not yet confirmed |
DOE's challenge page says that designing materials with AI could shrink development timelines "from decades to months" Sourced. That is a goal DOE has set, not a result already achieved. Values in computed databases such as the Materials Project are also predictions from calculations. A new material has not been "found" until experiments confirm it. Genesis ties its materials challenge to autonomous laboratories, which reads as an attempt to close the gap between prediction and experiment. If you are a materials supplier, keep "predicted by calculation" and "confirmed by experiment" apart when you read such claims.
4. How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)
| Aspect | What DOE has | What DOE does not have |
|---|---|---|
| Powers | Allocation of basic-research funding (Office of Science). Operation of national laboratories and large facilities. For Genesis, the authority to set priorities for DOE's own resources and to build and run the unified platform (sections 2 and 3 of the executive order) | The power to set budget amounts (Congress). General leadership of Genesis and coordination of other agencies (the White House does this through the National Science and Technology Council). The power to order other agencies to take part. Any power to regulate companies' MI research |
| Geography | Funding and infrastructure that reach U.S. research organisations. A joint framework with Japan's education and science ministry and its economy and industry ministry (announced June 2026) | The power to decide other countries' budgets. Japan's contribution is decided by the Japanese government |
| Funding | Competitive funding calls (the Genesis call: Phase I US$500,000 to US$750,000; Phase II US$6 million to US$15 million). Operating funds for the national laboratories | A published total for MI-specific funding |
| Standards | Operating rules for DOE's own data and platform (the order requires data-use agreements and data-access standards for outside collaborators) | A national role in setting standards for materials data (another agency covers this role; see section 5) |
| Scale | More than 15,000 federal employees and about 121,000 contractor employees (2022-era figure). A US$49.1 billion budget (FY2026 enacted) | Published headcount or budget for MI alone |
The US$49.1 billion is DOE's whole discretionary budget for FY2026, and about US$34.1 billion of it is defense (nuclear security). It is not an MI figure Sourced. The Office of Science's US$8.25 billion likewise covers every field, from physics and chemistry to computing, fusion and the life and environmental sciences. The FY2027 figures are requests, not enacted amounts. The request would put the Office of Science at US$7.14 billion (13.47 percent below the enacted amount) and Basic Energy Sciences at US$2.15 billion (15.12 percent below). It also asks for US$1.2 billion for the new AI and quantum office, but the document says that money would come from repurposing earlier funds that were never spent Not yet confirmed.
5. How the money and infrastructure flow
The Genesis Mission is an effort that started at DOE and has widened into a government-wide one. The White House announcement of July 2026 says more than 15 federal agencies will contribute research awards, funding opportunities, data and facilities, and will use the platform DOE built Sourced. It also lists DOE, the Department of Health and Human Services, NSF and NIST as joining the "AI-driven autonomous laboratories" challenge Sourced. In the same announcement the Energy Secretary speaks of "the 278 projects selected today", but the document does not say which call that refers to. DOE's Genesis website shows logos of collaborators including NVIDIA, IBM and Microsoft Sourced. These companies are candidates for our company profiles, and we do not assess the substance of the relationships here. The MGI's data and standards infrastructure is covered in our profile of NIST.
6. Outlook
| What can be read | Primary source | Category |
|---|---|---|
| The FY2027 budget request cuts the Office of Science and Basic Energy Sciences and asks for US$1.2 billion for a new AI and quantum office. Congress will decide the final amounts | DOE's FY2027 budget overview (April 2026). A request, not an enacted amount | Not yet confirmed |
| The executive order sets a deadline of about 270 days for a demonstration of the platform's "initial operating capability" (around August 2026). Whether it was met could not be confirmed | Executive Order 14363, section 3(f). The date is our conversion of "270 days from signing" | Not yet confirmed |
| The framework with Japan is a plan for US$1 billion in total over five years (US$500 million from each country). Actual contributions depend on future appropriations | DOE announcement, 4 June 2026, which states the condition | Not yet confirmed |
| The materials challenge will probably centre on the data and equipment at the national laboratories | The challenge page says DOE will combine its experimental and computational capabilities, materials datasets and physics-informed AI models. The order centres on integrating national-laboratory resources | Inference |
| If the Basic Energy Sciences request is enacted, competition for materials-research funding, MI included, may become tougher | Office of Science FY2027 budget overview (a 15.12 percent cut requested for Basic Energy Sciences). Congress may change it | Inference |
7. Glossary
- Office of Science
- The part of DOE that supports basic research in the physical sciences. It runs 10 national laboratories and operates large user facilities.
- Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- A program of the Office of Science that supports basic research to understand and control matter and energy at the electronic, atomic and molecular levels.
- National laboratory
- A research laboratory owned by DOE, most of them run for DOE by outside contractors. DOE has 17.
- User facility
- A large instrument or computer that outside researchers can apply to use, such as a light source, a neutron source or a supercomputer.
- Genesis Mission
- A national effort launched by a 2025 executive order to speed up scientific discovery with AI. DOE carries it out.
- Requested / enacted / allocated
- Requested is what the government proposes to Congress, enacted is what Congress approves, and allocated is what is actually assigned to programs. This article keeps requested and enacted apart.
- Fiscal year (FY)
- The U.S. federal government counts a year from October to the next September. FY2026 runs from October 2025 to September 2026.
8. References
- DOE DOE History Timeline (activated on 1 October 1977 as the twelfth cabinet-level department). https://www.energy.gov/lm/doe-history/doe-history-timeline
- DOE DOE Strategic Framework FY 2022-2026 (workforce, the 17 National Laboratories, headquarters and 80+ field locations). Posted January 2025. https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2025-01/doe-fy-2022-2026-strategic-framework.pdf
- DOE Budget in Brief, FY 2027 Congressional Justification (FY2025 and FY2026 enacted and FY2027 request; April 2026). https://www.energy.gov/documents/doe-fy-2027-budget-brief
- DOE Office of Science Science / Budget in Brief, FY 2027 Congressional Justification (Office of Science and BES enacted and requested amounts; researchers supported; user facilities). https://science.osti.gov/-/media/budget/pdf/sc-budget-request-to-congress/2027/FY-2027-Request-Narrative---BIB.pdf
- DOE Office of Science About (the largest federal supporter of basic research in the physical sciences; steward of 10 national laboratories). https://science.osti.gov/About
- White House Executive Order 14363, "Launching the Genesis Mission" (24 November 2025). https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/11/launching-the-genesis-mission/
- DOE Genesis Mission website (goals, the 17 National Laboratories, collaborators). https://genesis.energy.gov/
- DOE News: "Energy Department Announces 26 Genesis Mission Science and Technology Challenges" (12 February 2026). https://www.energy.gov/undersecretaryforscience/articles/energy-department-announces-26-genesis-mission-science-and
- DOE Genesis Mission National Science and Technology Challenges (challenge list page). https://www.energy.gov/undersecretaryforscience/genesis-mission/genesis-mission-national-science-and-technology-challenges
- DOE News: "Energy Department Announces $293 Million in Funding to Support Genesis Mission National Science and Technology Challenges" (17 March 2026). https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-department-announces-293-million-funding-support-genesis-mission-national-science
- White House "Trump Administration Announces More Than $5 Billion for the Genesis Mission, a National Mission on AI for Science" (July 2026). https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/07/45502/
- DOE News: "United States and Japan Announce Historic $1 Billion Partnership Under President Trump’s Genesis Mission" (4 June 2026). https://www.energy.gov/articles/united-states-and-japan-announce-historic-1-billion-partnership-under-president-trumps
- NSTC / NIST Official MGI website (DOE's request for information on autonomous experimentation). https://www.mgi.gov/
- NSTC SMGI Materials Genome Initiative Strategic Plan (November 2021; subcommittee members; DOE Energy Innovation Hubs). https://www.mgi.gov/sites/mgi/files/MGI-2021-Strategic-Plan.pdf
- DOE OSTI Materials Data on BeReB by Materials Project (DOE data record; sponsoring organization: DOE Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences). https://www.osti.gov/dataexplorer/biblio/dataset/1279226
- Paper Jain et al., Commentary: The Materials Project: A materials genome approach to accelerating materials innovation, APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4812323
9. Claim-to-source audit
| Claim in the article | Category | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Activation on 1 October 1977 as the twelfth cabinet-level department | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.energy.gov/lm/doe-history/doe-history-timeline |
| 15,000+ federal employees (including about 1,500 at FERC), about 121,000 contractor employees, 17 national laboratories, headquarters and 80+ field locations | Sourced | Reference 2 https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2025-01/doe-fy-2022-2026-strategic-framework.pdf |
| FY2026 enacted amounts (DOE total US$49.10 billion, of which defense US$34.11 billion; Office of Science US$8.25 billion) and the FY2027 request (DOE US$53.91 billion; Office of Science US$7.14 billion; AI and quantum US$1.2 billion) | Sourced | Reference 3 https://www.energy.gov/documents/doe-fy-2027-budget-brief |
| Basic Energy Sciences enacted US$2.53 billion and requested US$2.15 billion (15.12 percent cut), more than 21,000 researchers and 300+ institutions, 27 user facilities and about 40,000 users, AI/ML research for materials science | Sourced | Reference 4 https://science.osti.gov/-/media/budget/pdf/sc-budget-request-to-congress/2027/FY-2027-Request-Narrative---BIB.pdf |
| The Office of Science runs 10 national laboratories and is the largest federal supporter of basic physical-science research | Sourced | Reference 5 https://science.osti.gov/About |
| Contents of Executive Order 14363 (creation, implementation by the Secretary, White House leadership and coordination, platform, 270-day deadline, subject to appropriations) | Sourced | Reference 6 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/11/launching-the-genesis-mission/ |
| Genesis Mission goals, the 17 national laboratories, and logos of collaborators | Sourced | Reference 7 https://genesis.energy.gov/ |
| The 26 challenges (12 February 2026) and the two materials-related challenges | Sourced | Reference 8 https://www.energy.gov/undersecretaryforscience/articles/energy-department-announces-26-genesis-mission-science-and Reference 9 https://www.energy.gov/undersecretaryforscience/genesis-mission/genesis-mission-national-science-and-technology-challenges |
| The US$293 million call and its Phase I and Phase II amounts and eligibility (17 March 2026) | Sourced | Reference 10 https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-department-announces-293-million-funding-support-genesis-mission-national-science |
| More than 15 agencies, the autonomous-laboratories challenge involving DOE, HHS, NSF and NIST, and the "278 projects" remark (July 2026) | Sourced | Reference 11 https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/07/45502/ |
| The five-year US$1 billion framework with Japan (4 June 2026; subject to future appropriations) | Sourced | Reference 12 https://www.energy.gov/articles/united-states-and-japan-announce-historic-1-billion-partnership-under-president-trumps |
| DOE's request for information on autonomous experimentation | Sourced | Reference 13 https://www.mgi.gov/ |
| DOE members of the MGI subcommittee; Energy Innovation Hubs | Sourced | Reference 14 https://www.mgi.gov/sites/mgi/files/MGI-2021-Strategic-Plan.pdf |
| Sponsor of the Materials Project (Basic Energy Sciences) and the 2013 paper | Sourced | Reference 15 https://www.osti.gov/dataexplorer/biblio/dataset/1279226 Reference 16 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4812323 |
| The four types of institution | Our calculation | Our own classification |
| The initial-operating-capability deadline of around August 2026 | Our calculation | Our conversion of "270 days from signing" in reference 6 into a date |
| MI-specific budget and headcount, the size of the Materials Project from DOE sources, whether the platform reached initial operating capability, which call the 278 projects belong to | Not yet confirmed | Not stated in references 1 to 16; this article does not estimate them |
| The two points in the outlook about how the materials challenge will proceed and about competition for funding | Inference | Our reading of references 4, 6 and 9 |
Last updated 22 October 2026 / Troy Technical
Figures come from the websites of DOE and the White House and from DOE's budget documents. Numbers described as "requested" are not enacted amounts. Items marked "Inference" are this article's reading of the primary information, not statements by DOE.