Oak Ridge spawns institute to curb AI datacenter power surge

: Lab aims to link power, cooling, and workload management to ease strain on the US grid

Scientists turn scrap car aluminum into high-performance metal for new vehicles

Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have created a new aluminum alloy called RidgeAlloy that can turn contaminated car-body scrap into strong structural vehicle parts. Normally, impurities introduced during recycling make this scrap unsuitable for high-performance applications. RidgeAlloy overcomes that challenge, enabling recycled aluminum to meet the strength and durability standards required for modern vehicles. The technology could slash energy use, reduce imports, and unlock a huge new supply of domestic aluminum.

Simulations reveal the secret to strengthening carbon fiber | ORNL

Hot springs bubble up insights into microbe communities

Boiling hot water bubbles up into pools of vibrant teal and blue. The steam rises, burning anyone who gets too close. The water is acidic—sometimes as acidic as stomach acid. Microbes in a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park have evolved to live in such extreme circumstances.

Oak Ridge is home to many of the nation's most contaminated buildings. What’s being done?

Uranium weeps from the walls of one building in Oak Ridge. Here are other surprises of cleaning nuclear waste from America's wars.