NSF announced a $100 million AI Infrastructure Hubs program to boost compute access for science R&D across underserved US regions.

The US National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced a $100 million initiative titled the ‘NSF State and Regional Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Hubs’ to support AI-enabled scientific research and discovery. By establishing these hubs, the NSF aims to address persistent disparities in AI infrastructure access across the United States and implement recommendations from a report published in July 2026 by Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In that report, Kratsios outlined key obstacles facing US researchers and provided recommendations structured around four main pillars.

According to an NSF program document, each AI Infrastructure Hub will operate as a “flexible state or regional consortium of state and local governments, research institutions, philanthropies, and the private sector.” The NSF will fund consortium coordination, AI infrastructure workforce development, and faculty training alongside coursework development. Consortia members, meanwhile, will be responsible for financing new or expanded compute infrastructure.

Initially, up to ten hubs will receive NSF funding, with one award designated per state or region. These hubs will pool resources across states and institutions of varying sizes, while also collaborating with regional industrial partners to meet the needs of both scientific and local workforces.

“Artificial intelligence is transforming how we conduct research, accelerate scientific discovery and address complex challenges across disciplines,” said Brian Stone, who is performing the duties of the NSF director. “The State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs program supports a national mission to advance AI for science by expanding access to critical AI resources, strengthening state and regional ecosystems, and developing the workforce capabilities needed to harness these technologies. Through this effort, we can empower researchers, students, and communities to advance AI-enabled science and drive the next generation of scientific breakthroughs.”

The NSF noted it is actively seeking additional partners to support the initiative, highlighting that several private-sector and philanthropic organizations have already signaled their intent to contribute. Confirmed supporters include Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Dell Technologies, Hangar, and the Secunda Innovation Fund.