Sandia National Laboratories

Program Manta Ray 🌊 The Manta Ray prototype, an uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) built by Northrop Grumman, has completed in-water testing. Two Sandia experts are advising on energy aspects of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program, which aims to develop a new class of long-duration, long-range UUVs ready for operations in dynamic maritime environments. Photos courtesy of Northrop Grumman. Read more about the program: https://bit.ly/4cT0dxP

Creating “A Brighter Future” 🎥 Mirroring the trailblazing spirit of so many Sandia scientists before them, Sandia’s video team set out to tell the story of Sandia’s 75-year history and the ways it’s evolved to meet global challenges. “We want to remind people that we’re here doing great things for the country and the world,” said Mike Cleary, a Sandia video producer. “And if you didn’t know, now you do.” Watch Sandia’s new video: https://bit.ly/3RSxyRz

Celebrating 248 years of independence and freedom 🇺🇸 We wish our fellow Americans a safe and happy 4th of July. #IndependenceDay #4thofJuly

A Sandian on a mission 🇺🇸 Whether at Sandia or abroad, Marine Corps veteran Joe Sandoval is dedicated to nuclear security. He joined Sandia as a security police officer in ’85 and spent decades building expertise that ultimately earned him recognition from the International Atomic Energy Agency as having led more International Physical Protection Advisory Service missions than anyone else. “The missions offer an opportunity to promote nuclear security worldwide,” said Joe, a Global Security staff member. “I have a lot of fun. I lead missions around the world. I help nuclear sites around the U.S. and the globe to do security well.” Read more about Joe’s missions: https://bit.ly/4eANz8t

Revealing quantum computing’s unexpected advantage 🔎 Upending conventional wisdom, theoretical scientists at Sandia and Boston University proved that quantum computers are not faster than regular computers; instead, they use far less memory. This could help researchers find more real-world uses for the rapidly advancing tech. “This is the first exponential quantum advantage for a natural streaming problem,” said Sandia’s Ojas Parekh, a member of the team. “Space really matters because it’s hard building quantum computers with lots of storage.” Read more about the research: https://bit.ly/4eIbVgr

Advancing clean energy technology 🔋 The DOE Office of Technology Transitions awarded Sandia $7.4 million to develop seven projects that focus on reducing CO2 emissions to net zero, expanding wind and wave energy, and partnering Sandia with startups and academia to find solutions to community-based energy challenges. “One of the reasons I think Sandia is so great for this is that it really is community-focused and it’s a small town with big aspirations,” said Vanessa Chan, the chief commercialization officer and director of DOE’s OTT office. “The work you do here just blows my mind.” Read more about the funded projects: https://bit.ly/3xHbRgk

You asked, one of Sandia’s leading computer experts answered. Dave Martinez is an engineer and program project lead for computer services. He’s also responsible for bringing a liquid cooling system for computers to Sandia. Q: What is this liquid? A: It's a non-conductive mineral oil, a dielectric, synthetic, proprietary fluid that is nonhazardous and biodegradable. To a person seeing it for the first time, it is pretty crazy. But rest assured, computer scientists have been using this type of liquid or something similar for years. Q: Our most popular question on social media was, what would happen if you added salt? A: If you remember in science class, there’s an experiment where you put multimeter probes in water and it didn’t conduct detect electricity, but when you added salt, it did. Both the facility and coolant are designed to minimize conductivity by contaminates. I wouldn’t add salt to the solution, just like I wouldn’t add salt to a snail. Q: What are the top benefits of this system? A: 1. Heat density. You can remove the heat at a much warmer temperature and that saves electricity. You can actually reuse the output of the heat for things like preheating buildings. 2. You're able to run your systems at 100%. Usually, when a machine is running a computing job it runs about 85% to 90%. Q: Any drawbacks? A: 1. Not all computers fit in this type of liquid. 2. There needs to be more education around the technology. People are very cautious about how data centers are set up and you need to get everything right when you’re working with this much power. These systems can go up to 350kW a rack which is equal to 150 houses operating per hour. Q: Why did Sandia want to get involved in this kind of technology? A: I guess that’s my fault. One of my jobs at Sandia is to create a five-year, ten-year roadmap and I want to trade infrastructure support power (fans, pumps, chillers) for more computing power here, while also being more efficient. With this in mind, developing new technologies like the immersion system into our site plan would be a real advantage for our future and will result in water and energy savings as well as many opportunities to improve overall site efficiencies. Read the full story: https://bit.ly/4aKab2W

Making cybersecurity mainstream 🖥️ In 1999, the internet was less than a decade old and cybersecurity was in its infancy but a group of scientists at Sandia California knew that needed to change and launched the Center for Cyber Defenders. “Cybersecurity was not yet widely seen as a viable career choice at the turn of the century. We couldn’t find talent. We needed talent, so we grew our own,” said Steve Hurd, retired Sandian and former program lead. Read more about the Center for Cyber Defenders: https://bit.ly/4eDasYF