NERSC
NERSC is the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science's primary scientific computing facility, operating flagship supercomputers (Perlmutter, upcoming Doudna) plus quantum, AI/ML, and storage services for over 11,000 scientists at 926 institutions via competitively allocated DOE funding.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersBerkeley, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What NERSC does
NERSC (National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center) is the primary scientific computing facility for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, operated as a division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California. Founded in 1974 and celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024, NERSC provides high-performance computing resources to more than 11,000 scientists at over 926 institutions across all six DOE Office of Science program offices, supporting research in climate, fusion energy, materials science, particle physics, chemistry, and computational biology.
The facility's core technical portfolio centers on flagship supercomputers — currently Perlmutter (deployed 2021, hybrid CPU/GPU system with NVIDIA A100 GPUs and a 35-petabyte all-flash Lustre filesystem at 5+ TB/s throughput) and the upcoming Doudna (NERSC-10, scheduled late 2026, built on Dell Integrated Rack Scalable Systems and the NVIDIA Vera-Rubin platform, targeting at least 10x Perlmutter performance). The Cech Early Access System was delivered in early 2026 as a Doudna pilot. Complementary offerings include the QIS@Perlmutter and QCAN quantum computing programs (with IBM Quantum and QuEra Computing), the Spin container platform, the Superfacility API for integrated research infrastructure, petabyte-scale storage systems, and in-house AI/ML foundation models (CosmoGAN, CaloGAN, OmniLearned, Zatom-1, MatterChat).
NERSC does not generate commercial revenue. Resources are allocated through the DOE Energy Research Computing Allocation Process (ERCAP), a competitive peer-reviewed proposal system, with a Director's Reserve for startup, educational, and urgent projects. Funding flows from DOE Office of Science federal appropriations via Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (managed by the University of California). NERSC is not a venture-backed or publicly traded entity; it operates as a government research facility whose financial model is appropriations-based rather than market-based.
NERSC firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NERSC
- Legal name
- National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center
- Website
- https://nersc.gov
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- NERSC is the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science's primary scientific computing facility, operating flagship supercomputers (Perlmutter, upcoming Doudna) plus quantum, AI/ML, and storage services for over 11,000 scientists at 926 institutions via competitively allocated DOE funding.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where NERSC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berkeley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
NERSC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- DOE Office of Science Funding: NERSC operates as a division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, funded primarily by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. The center does not generate commercial revenue but provides HPC services as a national user facility to support DOE mission science.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
NERSC product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NERSC provides high-performance computing, data storage, and emerging technology access (quantum and AI) as a DOE national user facility. Its portfolio centers on flagship supercomputers such as Perlmutter (with Cech and Doudna rolling out in 2026), complemented by quantum computing programs, container-based Spin services, JupyterHub, and integrated research infrastructure APIs. All offerings are delivered through competitive allocation to support scientific research aligned with the DOE Office of Science mission.
Product overview
NERSC is the mission scientific computing facility for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, operated by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The center provides a portfolio of high performance computing products and services centered on flagship supercomputers (currently Perlmutter, with Doudna arriving late 2026) and complementary programs including quantum computing access (QIS@Perlmutter, QCAN), container-based services (Spin), data infrastructure, AI/ML services, and integrated research infrastructure. These offerings serve 11,000+ scientists across DOE's six program offices in climate, fusion energy, materials sciences, physics, chemistry, and computational biology.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Perlmutter System: NERSC's flagship hybrid CPU/GPU supercomputer installed in 2021, named after Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist Saul Perlmutter
- Doudna System
- Cech System
Products and services
- Perlmutter System
- Cech Early Access System
- Doudna Supercomputer
- QIS@Perlmutter Program
- Spin Container Platform
- Storage Systems
- AI/ML Services
- Integrated Research Infrastructure (Superfacility)
- JupyterHub Service
- NERSC Science Acceleration Program (NESAP)
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 2,000 peer-reviewed scientific publications annually using NERSC resources
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use NERSC
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
NERSC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AI capability9 records
Feature6 records
NERSC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Dell TechnologiescorePrimary system vendor and integration partner for NERSC-10 (Doudna) supercomputer. Dell designed the integrated rack scalable systems and PowerEdge servers, including the IR7000 direct liquid-cooled rack technology. Collaborating on software stack development, monitoring, telemetry, and alerting infrastructure for Doudna deployment.
- NVIDIAcoreGPU and AI infrastructure provider for NERSC systems. Supplies NVIDIA Grace CPUs, Blackwell GPUs, and Quantum-X800 InfiniBand networking. NVIDIA AI infrastructure powers both the Cech early access system and the upcoming Doudna system featuring Vera-Rubin architecture.
- VAST DatacoreProvides extreme-scale storage and data services for NERSC-10. VAST AI OS delivers both high-performance scratch and quality-of-service data services, accommodating distinct I/O demands of traditional modeling and simulation alongside AI-intensive workflows on the Cech and Doudna systems.
- RittalsupportingProvides the V3.5 coolant distribution unit for Cech early access system, representing the first U.S. deployment of this technology. Supports NERSC's energy-efficient data center operations.
- IBM Quantum Innovation CentercoreThrough NERSC's IBM Quantum Innovation Center, approved users may access IBM quantum computers over the cloud for research. IBM's transmon superconducting qubit technology and Qiskit quantum software provide next-generation quantum computing capabilities for qualifying NERSC research projects.
- QuEra ComputingcorePartnership provides access to QuEra's analog and digital neutral-atom quantum systems (Aquila 256-qubit quantum simulator and Gemini systems) for competitive research proposals. NERSC and QuEra staff engage deeply with researchers including biweekly meetings. CUDA-Q integration enables hybrid quantum-HPC applications.
- Energy Sciences Network (ESnet)coreDOE national user facility providing dedicated science network. ESnet connects NERSC to external resources and experimental facilities, enabling seamless data movement essential for integrated research workflows.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
NERSC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
NERSC social profiles
Digital presenceNERSC compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
NERSC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NERSC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
NERSC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NERSC M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NERSC
What does NERSC do?
NERSC provides high-performance computing, data storage, and emerging technology access (quantum and AI) as a DOE national user facility. Its portfolio centers on flagship supercomputers such as Perlmutter (with Cech and Doudna rolling out in 2026), complemented by quantum computing programs, container-based Spin services, JupyterHub, and integrated research infrastructure APIs. All offerings are delivered through competitive allocation to support scientific research aligned with the DOE Office of Science mission.
Is NERSC a public or private company?
NERSC is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was NERSC founded?
NERSC was founded in 1974. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is NERSC based?
NERSC is headquartered in Berkeley, United States, in the North America region.
How does NERSC make money?
One revenue line is on record: DOE Office of Science Funding.
Does NERSC have an API?
Yes. Superfacility API enables integrated and automated interactions with NERSC systems for experimental and observational facilities. Spin platform provides container-based services with API endpoints for deploying science gateways, workflow managers, databases, and network services. JupyterHub service available for interactive computing. QIS@Perlmutter provides cloud access to IBM quantum computers via Qiskit. Developer documentation is at docs.nersc.gov.