Science facility in Newport News breaks ground on new center
The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility broke ground for a new data center on its Newport News campus, expanding its mission into high-performance computing and artificial intelligence. The facility will house the Department of Energy’s High Performance Data Facility Hub, serving researchers across the country. Federal, state, and local officials celebrated the start of construction for the state-funded, multi-million dollar project.
The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility held a groundbreaking ceremony on its Newport News campus for a new data center facility. This center will house the Department of Energy's High Performance Data Facility Hub (HPDF), expanding Jefferson Lab's focus into high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and data-driven research.
Several federal, state, and local officials attended, including Gov. Abigail Spanberger, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, and DOE Under Secretary for Science Dario Gil. They lauded the project's potential to enhance scientific discovery and praised the bipartisan cooperation that made the multi-hundred-million-dollar investment possible.
The 30,000-square-foot Lab Data Center building is expected to be completed in about 18 months, with approximately $49 million in state funding. The HPDF hub itself, supported by the DOE, is projected to begin operations around 2030. It aims to connect and coordinate scientific data from 28 Office of Science user facilities nationwide, facilitating interdisciplinary research without physically warehousing data.