Fermilab launches extreme-environment chip initiative

Fermilab said on May 18 that it is leading a multi-lab initiative to use artificial intelligence to speed the design of semiconductor chips built for cryogenic, high-radiation and ultra-fast operating conditions. The project, called AXESS — short for Accelerating eXtreme Environment Specs-to-Silicon — is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission, according to a Fermilab announcement. Fermilab said the effort is aimed at custom chips used in quantum computing, fusion energy and particle physics. The laboratory said the goal is to reduce the time from chip specification to fabrication from months to weeks. ### What exactly did Fermilab launch this week? Fermilab described AXESS as a collaborative research project led by the laboratory and involving other U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories, universities and industry partners. The lab named Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories as participating labs, and Siemens as an industry partner. (news.fnal.gov) May 18 is the date on Fermilab’s announcement, which said the project is developing proofs of concept for the Genesis Mission, a national effort to accelerate science through AI. Fermilab said its role builds on years of work designing custom detectors and microelectronics for demanding research environments. ### Which chips are they trying to build faster? (news.fnal.gov) Fermilab said the target is specialized custom microelectronics that can operate in “extreme temperature, high-radiation and ultra-fast environments.” Those conditions are common in particle detectors and also matter in cryogenic quantum systems and other scientific instruments that cannot use standard commercial chips without modification. (news.fnal.gov) Nhan Tran, head of Fermilab’s AI Program, said particle detectors “must function in some of the most extreme environments in terms of radiation, cryogenic temperatures and speed.” Tran said Fermilab has developed deep expertise in microelectronics for extreme environments and, more recently, tools used across the research community to integrate AI onto chips. (news.fnal.gov) ### Where do quantum computing and fusion fit in? Fermilab said AXESS is intended to enable breakthroughs in quantum computing, fusion energy and particle physics. The announcement did not frame the project as a single chip line for one machine; it described a design framework that can be applied across several scientific use cases. (news.fnal.gov) Fermilab’s existing quantum infrastructure gives a sense of the test environments available on site. The SQMS Center says Fermilab Quantum Computing Lab One, or QCL-1, has two large dilution refrigerators used as quantum testbeds with multi-qubit control capabilities, while the Quantum Garage houses six additional large dilution refrigerators for quantum computing, sensing, metrology and communications. (news.fnal.gov) ### How does AI change the chip-design process? Fermilab said custom chip design is highly iterative and can take many months or years. AXESS is intended to use AI to build a framework that shortens that cycle, moving more quickly from a performance specification to a manufacturable design. Norbert Holtkamp, Fermilab’s director, said in a March Genesis Mission statement that the DOE effort is designed to combine AI, advanced computing and national-lab capabilities to accelerate discovery and strengthen scientific infrastructure. (sqmscenter.fnal.gov) That broader Genesis Mission context is the program under which AXESS is being developed. ### Who else is already working with Fermilab on quantum hardware? (news.fnal.gov) The Energy Department said in November 2025 that Fermilab and Qblox had entered a partnership to manufacture and distribute the Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit, or QICK, in the United States. DOE said the platform, developed by Fermilab, is used for quantum readouts and controls and is intended to support U.S. quantum research and workforce development. (news.fnal.gov) That earlier Qblox agreement is separate from AXESS, but it shows Fermilab already had an active channel for working with industry on quantum hardware and control systems before the new chip-design initiative was announced. ### What happens next? Fermilab said AXESS is now in the proofs-of-concept stage under the Genesis Mission. (energy.gov) The next concrete milestones are tied to the project’s stated aim of moving designs from specification to fabrication more quickly, using participating national labs, university collaborators and industry partners including Siemens. (news.fnal.gov)