System Resource Allocation Requests

For system resource allocations, learn about the high-performance computing (HPC) annual call for requests as well as out-of-cycle and pilot project requests.

Fiscal Year 2027 Annual Call for Allocation Requests

The deadline for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 requests is June 11, 2026.

NLR provides high-performance computing (HPC) and related capabilities to support the mission of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI). CMEI is advancing America's critical minerals supply chains and accelerating next-generation energy technologies to strengthen our nation's energy security and power our future.

Research and development projects funded by CMEI offices or aligned with the CMEI mission are eligible to utilize HPC resources, including mission-relevant computing projects that are supported by industry collaborators or university partnerships. HPC focus areas include materials science, manufacturing, fluid dynamics, energy systems integration, and forecasting as well as cross-cutting areas such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.

On behalf of DOE, NLR runs an annual open call for research and development projects to request use of a defined quantity, or allocation, of the compute resources at NLR. This notification serves as the announcement of this call for allocation requests. The allocation period of performance runs from Oct. 1, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2027.

Resources will be allocated on NLR's third generation supercomputer, Kestrel. Kestrel features a heterogeneous architecture consisting of standard compute nodes (CPU-only nodes) and accelerated nodes (GPU nodes) and represents a significant expansion in computing capability at 56 petaflops. Resources to be allocated on Kestrel for FY 2027 include 191 million "allocation units", or AUs, on standard compute nodes; 130 million AUs on accelerated nodes; 30 petabytes of shared data storage and up to 60 petabytes of long-term data storage. Standard compute nodes provide 10 AUs per node hour and accelerated compute nodes provide 100 AUs per node hour. Kestrel standard compute nodes have two Intel Sapphire Rapids 52-core processors. Kestrel accelerated nodes have four NVIDIA H100 Tensor core GPUs and two AMD Genoa 64-core processors.

Allocation requests must be completed and submitted by June 11, 2026.

An NLR account is required to submit a request. Users are encouraged to request an NLR account as early as possible to expedite the submission process. Request a user account.

Allocations may be requested by completing the online allocation request form.

Users are encouraged to submit requests for projects where a proposal has been submitted or is pending as well as for ongoing projects. Requesting an allocation will not affect the funding status of any submitted or pending proposals.

Users should request an NLR account by May 30, 2026, to expedite submission. Users experiencing difficulty accessing the online request form may contact [email protected] for alternate submission procedures.

Contact

If you have questions, reach out to [email protected].

For additional information about Kestrel and the allocation request process, register for the allocation webinar on Zoom on May 19, 2–3 p.m. MST.

For additional information, see Kestrel System Configuration and System Resource Allocation Units.

Preparing an NLR System Resource Allocation Request

Students

For student applications to use Kestrel, follow these steps to request an HPC account:

1. Visit User Accounts.
2. Click the green "Request Account" button. This will direct you to an online request form hosted at DocuSign.
3. Fill in your name and email address as the signer.
4. Follow the online instructions provided in the DocuSign form.
5. Write "Need HPC User Account for FY27 Kestrel student allocation request" in the Additional Notes or Comments box.

To submit a student allocation request:

1. Visit the HPC Allocation Request page.
2. Log in with your HPC user account username and password.
3. Use the ‘Pilot Request’ option on the request form.
4. Select the Funding Area that best matches your research: Technology Areas and Offices and DOE-Other for Project Category.
5. Include a DOE Mission Impact Statement and detail how your research impacts one of the DOE Technology Areas and Offices.
6. Have a detailed computing plan in the Computational Approach including a summary of the computational method or approach, the type of calculations, and a resource estimate illustrating how many node hours you will need.
7. Click Submit when the request is complete and ready to submit.

Principal Investigators

Principal investigators must have an NLR HPC user account to utilize the online allocation request system. To request an HPC user account:

1. Visit User Accounts.
2. Click the green "Request Account" button. This will direct you to an online request form hosted at DocuSign.
3. Fill in your name and email address as the signer.
4. Follow the online instructions provided in the DocuSign form.
5. Write "Need HPC User Account to use allocation request system" in the Additional Notes or Comments box.

To submit an allocation request online:

1. Visit the HPC Allocation Request page.
2. Log in with your HPC user account username and password.
3. Click the blue "Create New HPC Allocation Request."
4. Use the information provided below to help fill in the allocation request fields.
5. Click Submit when the request is complete and ready to submit.
6. Instructions can be found within the online form as well as how the information is utilized.

Reference Kestrel System Configuration.