INTERSECT: The Interconnected Science Ecosystem

The INTERSECT initiative at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is aimed at developing smart labs of the future. These labs have self-driving experiments guided by AI and machine learning with instruments connected across the labs working in concert to assist researchers in solving impactful science problems. While this is a grand and noble goal, it is also abstract. In this talk I will outline efforts to make such an abstract vision a reality. The inaugural INTERSECT science domain test cases span across a wide variety of activities at ORNL. From the fundamental sciences of chemistry, microscopy and quantum computing to the applied sciences of advanced manufacturing and electrical grid, the broad scope is intended to develop an INTERSECT ecosystem that is both robust and flexible. For this talk I will outline the architecture and software developments that make up the ecosystem and highlight the science that is being enabled by the ecosystem. I will also discuss the design flexibility and the potential impact on how we can address any scientific challenge of the present and future.