U.S. Energy Secretary Wright makes first visit to Los Alamos National Lab, calls it America’s ‘national security brain trust’

During his inaugural visit to Los Alamos National Laboratory on Feb. 24, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright told staff and leadership his administration believes Los Alamos is the nation’s “brain trust in national security” and that he has a “bold plan” to swiftly to remove “barriers for science, industry, and more” to help support the institution’s missions over the next four years.

Wright made Los Alamos his first stop on a nationwide tour of all the national laboratories. “It’s amazing to be here,” he said. “This is where it all began. That’s why we wanted to come here first.”

While on-site, Wright took in presentations about weapons, artificial intelligence and global security between tours of the Strategic Computing Complex, the Plutonium Facility and the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Facility.

AI was a common component of discussions throughout the day’s events. During a working lunch in front of the SCC’s Powerwall, Wright said, “AI is a huge part of our future, and we have to figure out how to keep the Lab moving as fast as possible.” He also voiced support for recent AI-focused collaborations with OpenAI, the New Mexico AI Consortium and the University of Michigan.

Wright’s day on campus ended with a windshield tour of the Manhattan Project National Historic Park’s V Site and Gun Site and a press event at the Oppenheimer House.

Speaking to reporters, Wright doubled down on his comments about the importance of AI in deterrence and defense, also noting it will have a strong impact on the DOE’s goals for developing America’s energy portfolio.

“AI is the next Manhattan Project,” Wright said. “This is an incredibly fast-moving science, and it’s critical that we win this race as well. It’s hard to overstate the importance and the impact AI will have in defense, in economics, in science.”

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