NERSC ERCAP Energy Research Computing Allocations on Perlmutter for AI and ML

ERCAP (Energy Research Computing Allocations Process) allocates compute time on NERSC's Perlmutter supercomputer at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, one of the world's largest GPU-based systems with over 7,000 NVIDIA A100 GPUs alongside AMD EPYC CPUs. ERCAP is the primary mechanism for the broader DOE Office of Science research community (and partner researchers) to access leadership-class GPU resources for AI/ML, foundation model training, scientific AI, climate AI, materials AI, and AI-coupled simulation. Annual allocation cycle: submissions typically open in August and close in early October, with allocations starting January 1 of the following year. The 2026-cycle ERCAP call closed October 8, 2026 for 2027 allocations. NERSC supports both pre-trained foundation model fine-tuning and pre-training campaigns, with a growing AI/ML user community. Recipients receive both compute hours and consultation from NERSC's NESAP for AI program providing hands-on optimization, MLOps support, and access to advanced features (interactive nodes, Jupyter at scale, ML-optimized storage). ERCAP complements DOE's INCITE (largest) and ALCC (mission-aligned) allocation pathways.

NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship Program is a grant from NVIDIA providing up to $60,000 per award to PhD students conducting research that advances accelerated computing and its applications. Now in its 25th year, the program invites nominations from doctoral students pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous vehicles, and related fields. Recipients receive not only research funding but also access to NVIDIA technology, products, and engineering expertise, along with a mandatory in-person summer internship. Students are nominated by their faculty advisors and selected based on academic achievement and research area alignment.

CalSEED Concept Award is a grant from the California Energy Commission that provides $150,000 in funding to early-stage clean energy innovators in California. The program targets individuals, businesses, and nonprofits developing hardware, software, or integrated solutions at Technology Readiness Levels 2-4. Eligible technology areas rotate each cycle and have included battery recycling and reuse, long-duration energy storage, medium- and heavy-duty vehicle electrification, industrial electrification, and advanced EV charging. Applicants must be located in California, have under $1 million in private funding, and propose innovations that benefit California ratepayers. Concept Award winners also receive professional development resources and access to accelerator programs, and may compete for a subsequent $450,000 Prototype Award.

NIST SBIR Phase I - Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics is sponsored by National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST SBIR Phase I - Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics is a grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that funds small businesses with innovative research and technology ideas in advanced manufacturing and robotics.