On May 29th, Radical AI shared our recommendations with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) for the 2025 National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan, a critical roadmap for the future of American innovation. In response to the request for information, Radical AI has submitted a comment outlining a strategic imperative: positioning AI-driven materials innovation as a foundational pillar for U.S. technological leadership, national security, and sustained economic competitiveness.

Focus a New Generation of R&D with National Priorities

Every great leap in civilization is sparked by the convergence of a material discovery and a pressing human need. The demand for instantaneous, global communication was met by the fiber optic glass that powers our internet, just as the dream of flight was realized through lightweight aluminum alloys. We now stand at a similar threshold, with visions of a future powered by fusion and secured by hypersonic technology. To turn these visions into reality, we must move from passive hope to active creation. By establishing clear material goals that answer the call of our most ambitious technologies, and empowering that search with intelligent tools, we can consciously ignite the next great era of human and American progress.

Create a National Data Infrastructure to Fuel AI-Driven Discovery

Progress from initiatives like the Materials Genome Initiative is critically undermined by siloed infrastructure and data. A robust national data infrastructure is essential to fuel AI-driven innovation. Such a system would integrate R&D requirements and disseminate them to public and private entities, breaking down the bureaucratic impediments that currently slow progress. This allows AI foundation models to learn from all experimental outcomes—not just successes—vastly accelerating the design-build-test cycle for new materials.

Bridge the Lab-to-Market Gap with Pilot Manufacturing

AI can dramatically accelerate materials discovery, but that speed is meaningless without a viable path to large-scale manufacturing. To ensure rapid innovation translates into a competitive advantage for U.S. industry, we must establish materials or industry-tailored pilot manufacturing facilities. This critical infrastructure bridges the gap between discovery and deployment, ensuring that American ingenuity leads to tangible economic and national security advantages.

By implementing this integrated strategy, the United States can forge a uniquely American engine of innovation. It requires bold federal leadership to build the ecosystem where AI-driven discovery and U.S. industry can thrive together, securing our materials future and American competitiveness for the 21st century.

Radical AI’s full OSTP submission is available here.