The U.S. National Science Foundation marked its 75th year by outlining how its 2025 investments are intended to preserve U.S. leadership in science, engineering and innovation, with a strong emphasis on Artificial Intelligence, quantum technologies, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing. The agency framed these efforts as essential to national prosperity, security and economic competitiveness, while stressing that it continues to support research across all scientific disciplines. The strategy ties foundational research, technology development and workforce training into a coordinated push to keep the country at the cutting edge throughout the 21st century.
A major focus in 2025 was accelerating discovery through Artificial Intelligence. Through the NSF-led National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource pilot, more than 400 research teams are now connected to a shared national AI infrastructure, with access to advanced tools, data, training and expertise. NSF announced a 100 million investment in National AI Research Institutes awards to secure American leadership in AI, and expanded that institutes program with a 100 million investment in partnership with industry leaders, supporting research in AI literacy, human-AI collaboration, materials discovery, drug development and science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. Complementary efforts included up to 100 million for NSF Test Bed: Toward a Network of Programmable Cloud Laboratories, 75 million from NSF for Open Multimodal AI Infrastructure to Accelerate Science, and 20 million to expand the NSF CloudBank, all aimed at cementing U.S. dominance in Artificial Intelligence while supporting the Trump Administration’s AI Action Plan and the goals of the Genesis Mission.
NSF also highlighted progress in quantum information science, including a record 6,100 neutral-atom quantum bits controlled by lasers and integration of key components for scalable, error-corrected quantum computation, along with design work for a National Quantum Virtual Laboratory and a partnership with U.K. Research and Innovation. On the economic front, NSF named 15 finalists in the Regional Innovation Engines program, noting that a 135 million initial NSF Engines investment has already leveraged more than 1 billion in matching commitments, and committed over 74 million to six Mathematical Sciences Research Institutes whose past work established foundations for Artificial Intelligence technologies. New initiatives such as the VINES program, which will invest up to 100 million in next-generation wireless networks, and the forthcoming Tech Labs initiative are intended to translate research into sector-shaping technologies. Workforce investments included more than 65 million through the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research to build research infrastructure in multiple states, expand AI-related education from K-12 through graduate training, and teach semiconductor manufacturing skills using AI-powered virtual reality.
Building out national research infrastructure was another core theme, with the NSF Zettawatt-Equivalent Ultrashort pulse laser System becoming the most powerful laser in the U.S. in June and opening to scientists nationwide, and the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory capturing its first images ahead of a 10-year survey that will generate unprecedented data on the universe. NSF closed by underscoring its legacy of supporting Nobel-caliber science: in 2025, six additional researchers backed by NSF at various career stages received Nobel Prizes in chemistry, physics and economics, bringing the total number of Nobel laureates supported by NSF to 274. These outcomes were presented as evidence that sustained investment in fundamental research, Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies can produce both scientific breakthroughs and long-term economic growth.
