By Hannah Grover
During a visit to Albuquerque, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright compared the current development of artificial intelligence to the Manhattan Project, which he praised as a critical initiative that brought an early end to World War II and saved American lives.
“Now we have a second Manhattan Project coming, which is the very fast moving pace of AI,†he said.
Wright visited New Mexico’s two national labs this week as he kicks off his tour of the 17 national laboratories.
He met with members of the press at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History on Tuesday during his visit to Sandia National Laboratories.
Wright said AI will change the world in multiple ways, including in how weapons are developed and medical research.
“Like with the Manhattan Project, it’s critical that the United States wins this war, wins this competition,†he said.
Wright said the first investigations into AI began at Sandia and that the Manhattan Project centered around Los Alamos National Laboratory.
“These two labs are just critical to our nuclear deterrence in keeping our country safe,†Wright said during a press conference at the museum in Albuquerque on Tuesday. “And I couldn’t be more proud of the population of New Mexico in this area, which has been a magnet for scientists, for engineers, for administrators, that have allowed Los Alamos the success it’s had, and Sandia the success it had.â€
Wright defended decisions to increase plutonium pit production at Los Alamos National Laboratory and said that the nuclear fleet needs modernization. He argued that having “reliable, robust, secure weapons is the key to keeping the peace.â€
He also addressed energy costs and said if electricity is expensive and unreliable, it can have direct impacts on people’s lives.
Wright said the growth in AI is also causing increased demand for electricity.
“We need to grow our electricity production from sources all over the map,†he said. “We need to keep the grid reliable, push prices down and give greater opportunities for Americans.â€
When answering questions, Wright — whose background comes from the oil and gas sector — pushed back against terms like “green†or “clean†energy. He also expressed support for increasing nuclear energy, which has been in decline in recent years.
There are no nuclear power plants in New Mexico and the state’s largest electric utility, the Public Service Company of New Mexico, has reduced how much of its electricity comes from the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Arizona.
When asked about funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Wright said the projects that have already received allocations from former President Joe Biden’s key pieces of legislation will not lose that federal funding.
“There’s a lot of great projects. There may be some areas that we don’t think are the most productive use of taxpayer funds, but when agreements are in place, of course, we will follow the law,†he said. “There’s unallocated funds in both of those bills as well, and I think we’re going to have some opportunities to direct those towards the greatest bang for the buck.â€