
Stephen Streiffer
Director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
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Apr 9, 2026
A Conversation with Dr. Stephen Streiffer, Director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
21:07
21:15
21:31
21:38
21:45
40:21

Dan PonemanHOST
So I think I packed a lot into that question, but help us understand this a little bit better.

Stephen StreifferGUEST
I think there is the purpose of ITER and then there, as you're very correctly pointing out, the allocation of very scarce dollars within the United States research and development ecosystem.

Stephen StreifferGUEST
So the real purpose of ITER is actually the science of the sustained burning plasma.

Stephen StreifferGUEST
And if you look at the way that ITER is being designed, one of the reasons it's expensive is because it's large.

Stephen StreifferGUEST
And one of the reasons it's large is that you want to minimize the heat flux on the walls so that you have materials that we can make today that will survive those sorts of extreme environments.
18 MINS LATER

Dan PonemanHOST
What can this computer do that others cannot? And since you also referred to AI, how does all of this relate to the so-called DOE Genesis mission, maybe say what that is, and how does Oak Ridge and Frontier contribute to this whole effort?