Summary
A recent executive order (EO) launches the “Genesis Mission,” a national AI initiative the White House likens to the Manhattan Project in scale and ambition, aimed at unifying federal supercomputing, data, and research assets to accelerate scientific and engineering work. The order positions the Department of Energy (DOE) to begin developing a centralized AI-enabled research platform and outlines potential avenues for future engagement with organizations that hold valuable data, modeling tools, or technical capabilities. The EO makes clear that the federal government is advancing rapidly toward treating AI as a central component of U.S. scientific infrastructure.
While the Genesis Mission primarily applies to government entities, it will likely impact private companies—both as direct participants in federal projects and by shaping standards—and companies should consider benchmarking their data governance, privacy, and cybersecurity programs against those of the Mission as it continues to take shape.
The Upshot
- The EO launches the Genesis Mission, directing DOE to unify federal supercomputing, scientific datasets, and research facilities into a centralized AI-enabled platform.
- DOE is required to build and operate the American Science and Security Platform (the Platform) with risk-based cybersecurity measures and to manage access to sensitive scientific data consistent with federal data-access and data-management standards.
- Several provisions signal potential roles for private-sector contributors with high-value datasets, modeling tools, or compute capacity as DOE develops the Platform.
The Bottom Line
The Genesis Mission marks a structural shift in how the federal government intends to organize AI-enabled scientific research, and it is likely to influence expectations across sectors that work with advanced data, modeling tools, or complex research environments. As DOE develops the Platform, organizations with mature data-governance practices, strong cybersecurity controls, and credible documentation around model development will be better positioned to engage with—or adapt to—the standards emerging from this initiative.
Even companies that do not plan to participate directly may see the Mission shape benchmarks for data provenance, access controls, and responsible AI use in high-impact research. Monitoring DOE’s implementation and evaluating internal readiness now can help organizations align with the direction of federal AI infrastructure and anticipate the operational and compliance demands it may generate.
The White House has issued a new executive order (EO) launching the “Genesis Mission,” a national initiative that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate scientific and engineering research by bringing federal supercomputing, data assets, and specialized laboratories into a unified system. In outlining this program, the EO invokes the Manhattan Project as a point of comparison, signaling the scale of the undertaking and the central role AI-enabled scientific research now plays in federal strategy. For companies operating in technical, data-intensive, or research-focused sectors, the Genesis Mission provides an early outline of how the federal government plans to organize and deploy AI for scientific work.
What the Executive Order Actually Does
The EO establishes the Genesis Mission as a Department of Energy (DOE) led program that uses high-performance computing, large scientific datasets, and automated laboratory environments to support AI-driven research. Under the EO, DOE must inventory its compute and data assets, identify the initial scientific datasets and model resources, and evaluate the automated and robotic laboratories that can support accelerated experimentation. The agency must also select an initial group of “national challenge” areas and demonstrate early capability on at least one of them within the EO’s initial implementation period. Given recent federal priorities, these challenges may include fields such as biotechnology, semiconductors, or nuclear and fusion energy. The EO further tasks the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology with coordinating contributions from other federal agencies so that scientific data and infrastructure can be integrated into a common framework rather than remaining siloed.
To support this work, DOE will build and operate the American Science and Security Platform (the Platform). The Platform will serve as the central computing and data environment for the Genesis Mission. DOE will use it to train scientific foundation models, run simulations, analyze experimental results, and make curated research datasets available under controlled access. Because the Platform may incorporate data from across the federal government and from external research contributors, the EO requires DOE to implement risk-based cybersecurity measures and to identify initial data and model assets with digitization, standardization, metadata, and provenance tracking. These requirements will in practice necessitate detailed access controls and data-management processes so that sensitive or proprietary information can be integrated under a consistent governance structure.
How the Genesis Mission Could Engage the Private Sector
Although the EO focuses on federal agencies, several provisions suggest that private-sector organizations may ultimately play a role in shaping the Platform and the scientific models developed within it. DOE may use laboratory partnerships, formal agreements, and other collaboration pathways that allow outside organizations to contribute datasets, model components, software tools, or specialized compute capabilities. For private companies, this could create opportunities to participate directly in federal research priorities or to align commercial technologies with emerging federal standards for scientific modeling.
Participation will likely require more robust internal practices around data provenance, privacy protections, and cybersecurity. Companies contributing data or models should expect detailed questions about dataset lineage, usage restrictions, and documentation. Collaboration agreements may also impose clearer limits on how integrated or derivative research assets can be used. While the EO does not spell out these arrangements in detail, it directs DOE to treat the Platform and its supporting datasets as part of the nation’s science and security infrastructure. That framing will influence how DOE structures access rights, audit requirements, and the handling of contributed information.
Practical Considerations for Organizations
For companies in biotechnology, semiconductors, energy technologies, quantum information science, advanced manufacturing, and related fields, the Genesis Mission illustrates the type of centralized, AI-enabled research environment the federal government intends to build. Organizations considering future collaboration may want to review their current data and model-governance programs, assess their ability to document data lineage, and evaluate whether their privacy and cybersecurity controls align with federal expectations for sensitive research environments—and that their programs are properly documented. It may also be useful to revisit licensing terms, research agreements, and internal policies to ensure clarity around how data or model assets may be contributed to or derived from a federal platform.
Even organizations that never engage directly with the Genesis Mission may feel its influence. As DOE develops the Platform, its design choices will help define benchmarks for responsible data governance, scientific model development, and AI-enabled research practices. Those benchmarks often shape the expectations of regulators, customers, and research partners. For that reason, companies may find it prudent to monitor DOE’s implementation work closely and evaluate how their internal systems—technical, legal, and operational—align with the direction of federal scientific AI infrastructure.
Ballard Spahr is closely monitoring developments at the intersection of government and artificial intelligence. Our AI Legislation and Litigation Tracker provides a comprehensive view of AI-related legislative activities and important information about litigation matters with significant potential impact on clients.
****
Artificial Intelligence & Intellectual Property—a Practising Law Institute (PLI) treatise authored and edited by Ballard Spahr attorneys—provides an authoritative, yet accessible, resource for navigating the evolving legal issues at the intersection of AI and IP. Learn more and order the book here.
Related Insights
Subscribe to Ballard Spahr Mailing Lists
Get the latest significant legal alerts, news, webinars, and insights that affect your industry.
Subscribe Copyright © 2025 by Ballard Spahr LLP.
www.ballardspahr.com
(No claim to original U.S. government material.)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the author and publisher.
This alert is a periodic publication of Ballard Spahr LLP and is intended to notify recipients of new developments in the law. It should not be construed as legal advice or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own attorney concerning your situation and specific legal questions you have.