Increasing national AI capabilities through the addition of new data systems and resources by the National Science Foundation.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced the launch of the Integrated Data Systems and Services (NSF IDSS) program. This new initiative aims to develop and operate national-scale data systems, aligning with priorities outlined in the White House AI Action Plan.

Katie Antypas, director of the NSF Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure, emphasised the importance of data infrastructure and access to high-quality datasets in fostering a thriving AI innovation ecosystem. The NSF IDSS program will help researchers access and integrate vast data to power advanced AI systems across various sectors such as health care, agriculture, energy, and national defense.

Part of the NSF IDSS program involves the selection of 10 datasets for integration into the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot. Some of these datasets will offer integration with NAIRR Pilot partner platforms. The datasets cover a range of domains, including lidar-based terrain mapping, microbiome data, software supply chain graphs, and more.

In the coming weeks, many of these datasets will become more deeply embedded in the NAIRR Pilot. The NSF IDSS program will also support workforce development to manage and operate these systems, strengthening the U.S. cyberinfrastructure for AI, scientific progress, and long-term competitiveness.

The generation, collection, and curation of high-quality datasets are suited to training innovative AI models targeted at specific domains or national challenges. The datasets were chosen through a competitive process led by NSF in partnership with an interagency working group of 12 federal agencies.

The NSF IDSS program will support three classes of projects: new integrative data systems, scaling up existing successful prototypes, and planning grants for future IDSS systems and services projects. The awarded systems and services through the IDSS program will be integrated into the NAIRR and other NSF-managed programs.

It is worth noting that the institutions involved in selecting the ten datasets for integration into the NAIRR pilot are not explicitly listed in the available search results. However, the selected datasets include AI4Shipwrecks (University of Michigan), Turbulence Database (Johns Hopkins University), Cell Painting Gallery (Broad Institute), FathomNet (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute), PatchDB (George Mason University), Phase-Field Fracture Simulation (Johns Hopkins University), SecureChain (Purdue University), Microbiome Preterm Birth DREAM Challenge Dataset (The March of Dimes Repository for Preterm Birth Research at the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco), Industry Documents Library (University of California, San Francisco), and OpenTopography (UC San Diego, Arizona State University and the Earthscope Consortium).

These efforts are not just about building data infrastructure; they will sharpen America's competitive edge and lay the foundation for a new era of leadership in science and innovation. The NSF IDSS program will enable the deployment of high-impact platforms that interoperate with other federal science and data infrastructure efforts, accelerating innovation and strengthening American competitiveness in AI and other sectors.