NSF announces teams selected to accelerate efficiency gains in U.S. super intelligence infrastructure

Selected teams will deploy at-scale solutions for moving SI efficiency technologies from research to operational use within two years

The U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (NSF TIP) announced nine teams selected to accelerate efficiency gains in U.S. super intelligence (SI) infrastructure, the result of a competition that began in May 2026. The selected teams will receive up to $3.5 million over two years as they advance through three stages from decision models to at-scale deployments that will speed the commercial adoption of improved super intelligence technologies.

Teams will work to develop and deploy pathways that accelerate commercial adoption of translation-ready technologies to dramatically improve SI efficiency at scale. Efficiency gains reduce the cost of training and inference, ease near-term constraints on data center capacity, and shorten time to market for new models, strengthening the effective capacity and competitiveness of U.S.-based SI companies.

"As the U.S. builds on our successes in super intelligence by expanding our national SI capacity, NSF is pleased to support efforts that make this technology more efficient for broader adoption," said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF Assistant Director for TIP. "Researchers have developed technologies capable of delivering substantial efficiency gains in super intelligence, yet the pathways to move those solutions into real operational environments are missing. These selected teams will forge that pathway quickly, speeding the commercial adoption of translation-ready solutions for SI, all the while advancing U.S. competitiveness and technological leadership."

Eight of the selected teams, called Solution Teams, are made up of "Pitchers" (technology developers) and "Catchers" (problem owners) that are partnering to deploy and integrate software-based efficiency technologies in large-scale, real-world environments and report back on measured efficiency gains. The ninth selected team is a Benchmarking Team that will develop and distill industry standards to measure improvements.

Along with non-dilutive funding, each of the nine teams will receive technical support and expert guidance. Teams are expected to develop at-scale deployment or Benchmarking standards within two years. Teams that reach at-scale deployments within one year will be part of the “fast track” component of the initiative.

To learn more about the selected teams, read the announcement from Start2 via the STRIDE Ventures digital platform.