Doudna Supercomputer to Boost AI and Genomics Research

Doudna Supercomputer to Boost AI and Genomics Research \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ A powerful new supercomputer named “Doudna” will launch at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 2025. Named after Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna, the system will advance artificial intelligence and genomics research. Dell and Nvidia are collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy on the project.

Quick Looks

• A new AI-powered supercomputer named “Doudna” will launch at Berkeley Lab in 2025.
• Named after CRISPR pioneer and Nobel winner Jennifer Doudna.
• U.S. Energy Secretary and Nvidia CEO announced the project together.
• Dell Technologies is contracted to build the system.
• Will support AI, high-performance computing, and genomics research.
• Joins a lineup of Nobel-named systems at the lab.
• Will be hosted at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center.
• Ranking on the TOP500 list of supercomputers still unknown.

Deep Look

A major leap forward in supercomputing and artificial intelligence is underway at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where a new system named “Doudna” is set to launch in 2025. The machine is named after Jennifer Doudna, a pioneering biochemist and University of California, Berkeley professor whose groundbreaking work on CRISPR gene-editing technology earned her the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Once online, Doudna will represent not only a technological milestone but also a symbolic fusion of computing power and life sciences innovation.

Unveiled in a joint announcement by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Dell Technologies, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, the Doudna supercomputer is designed to advance scientific discovery at the intersection of high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI), and genomics. Dell Technologies has been contracted by the Department of Energy to build the machine, and Nvidia will supply its cutting-edge AI accelerators and GPU-based computing architecture.

The system will be housed at Berkeley Lab’s National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), a facility that supports thousands of researchers worldwide with simulation, modeling, and large-scale data analysis capabilities. Doudna will join an elite family of supercomputers named after Nobel laureates, including “Perlmutter” (after astrophysicist Saul Perlmutter) and “Cori” (after biochemist Gerty Cori). This tradition continues with Doudna, reflecting the lab’s commitment to honoring scientific legacies while powering the future of innovation.

Whereas past systems at NERSC emphasized physical sciences and cosmological simulations, Doudna is being optimized for a new era of life sciences computing — specifically in genomics and biomedical research. With the rise of precision medicine, synthetic biology, and AI-driven healthcare diagnostics, the need for infrastructure that can rapidly process and learn from enormous biological datasets is more critical than ever.

“Genomics research is one of the key use cases for Doudna,” said Dion Harris, a product executive in Nvidia’s AI and high-performance computing division. “Naming the system after someone who revolutionized the field just made sense. It’s a nod to her scientific legacy and to the future we’re building.”

The timing is strategic. The convergence of AI and molecular biology is unlocking breakthroughs at an unprecedented pace. Large language models, once focused solely on text, are now being trained to predict protein structures, identify disease mutations, and model cellular behavior. A machine like Doudna — equipped with next-gen GPUs, fast interconnects, and deep integration with AI frameworks — will accelerate these processes and enable research that was previously impossible due to computational limits.

Doudna’s specific hardware specs have not yet been publicly disclosed, and it’s unclear how it will rank on the TOP500 list of the world’s fastest supercomputers. However, performance metrics may be secondary to the system’s design purpose. Unlike speed-focused systems such as “El Capitan” at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory — currently ranked No. 1 globally — Doudna is optimized for throughput, parallel processing, and AI-native applications. This positions it as a unique tool for researchers at the bleeding edge of bioinformatics, pharmaceutical development, epidemiology, and more.

This initiative also has broader geopolitical and strategic significance. In the global race for AI and computational supremacy, the U.S. has prioritized investment in national lab infrastructure to maintain leadership. The Doudna project aligns with that goal, reflecting a commitment to not only outpace competitors technologically but to ensure those advances are directed toward solving critical challenges — from public health to climate resilience.

At the same time, the naming of the system carries a strong symbolic message. Jennifer Doudna’s contributions to CRISPR have transformed genetics and raised ethical questions about gene editing, therapy, and the future of human biology. Associating her name with one of the nation’s most advanced supercomputers affirms a broader cultural recognition: that the future of science will not just be written in code, but in DNA, and the two fields will increasingly converge.

It also marks an important moment for representation in STEM. For decades, computing systems — especially those at government research labs — have typically been named after men. By honoring a female scientist who is still active in her field, the Department of Energy highlights the importance of inclusion, equity, and visibility in naming the tools that define the next scientific era.

The arrival of Doudna also suggests a fundamental rethinking of what supercomputing is for. Where once these massive machines were used primarily for physics simulations, nuclear research, and weather modeling, today’s supercomputers are becoming engines for deciphering the human genome, designing new antibiotics, modeling pandemics, and even mapping the microbiome. Doudna will enable scientists to move beyond traditional linear research methods, using AI to detect patterns, generate hypotheses, and iterate discoveries at speed and scale.

From Berkeley’s hilltop labs, the impact will ripple outward across the country and the world. Research institutions, biotech startups, government health agencies, and even educational partners could benefit from open access time on the machine, particularly in collaborative or grant-funded projects. As the capabilities of AI expand, so does the scope of what’s computationally possible — and Doudna aims to be a hub for that innovation.

In the years to come, the “Doudna” name could become synonymous not just with gene editing, but with an entirely new class of AI-powered scientific exploration. Whether it’s decoding the secrets of rare diseases, optimizing sustainable agriculture, or simulating the behavior of living cells, the work done on this system may change the very nature of how science is conducted.

As Secretary Wright emphasized in his remarks, this is more than just another government supercomputer. “With Doudna, we are laying the groundwork for the next century of American science,” he said. “It’s about solving the unsolvable — and doing it faster than ever before.”

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