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The Genesis Mission is a national initiative that aligns with America’s AI Action Plan and is spearheaded by the Department of Energy, with coordination across the federal government.

What Is the DOE’s Genesis Mission For?

The program’s objective is to advance scientific discovery, engineering and innovation through the use of artificial intelligence and advanced computing. As a coordinated national effort, the Genesis Mission strengthens research and development to support the nation’s technological capability, global competitiveness, energy security and national defense.

Don’t miss the most essential government-industry gathering for AI: Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit, happening March 19!

Who Are the DOE’s Partners for Genesis?

The initiative unites the Energy Department’s 17 national laboratories, along with partners in industry and academia, to create a secure, integrated scientific discovery platform that connects leading supercomputers, data resources, advanced AI and quantum systems, and scientific instruments to address priority national science and technology challenges. The effort draws on expertise across the federal government, including approximately 40,000 DOE scientists, engineers, technical staff and specialists from the private sector.

PNNL, NNSA & ORNL

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is a key partner in the DOE’s Genesis Mission. PNNL is developing AI-driven capabilities for autonomous discovery in chemistry, materials and biology, faster environmental permitting and secure energy grids. The National Nuclear Security Administration will focus on classified AI development, data management and advanced model capabilities, while the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is advancing the Genesis Mission with two new computing systems, Discovery and Lux, which accelerate AI-driven research and support the development of the American Science Cloud.

Berkeley Lab

With its history of advancing computational science, mathematics, and data analysis, laying the foundations for modern artificial intelligence and machine learning, Berkeley Lab plays a key role in the Genesis Mission, leading projects such as Multi-Office particle Accelerator Team, or MOAT, Synergistic Neutron and Photon Autonomous Science – Imaging, or SYNAPS-I, and Orchestrated Platform for Autonomous Laboratories to Accelerate AI-Driven BioDesign or OPAL.

An initial 24 organizations signed collaboration agreements with the department, establishing public-private partnerships aimed at developing scalable AI capabilities and shared infrastructure for R&D. Among the private sector partners are Anthropic, Oracle and NVIDIA.

Anthropic

DOE’s multi-year partnership with Anthropic focuses on areas including energy systems, biological and life sciences, and research productivity, with the potential to support work across the national laboratories. As part of the collaboration, Anthropic provides AI tools and technical expertise to help researchers connect models with scientific data, instruments, and workflows, building on prior collaborations with DOE to advance AI-enabled scientific research.

Oracle

Oracle and the DOE entered into a non-binding agreement to accelerate current and future AI and advanced computing initiatives, including the Genesis Mission. The collaboration supports the development of domestic computing and data capabilities, responsible AI practices, and an integrated platform that connects advanced computing systems, experimental facilities and datasets across research domains.

NVIDIA

NVIDIA is also participating as a private-sector partner in the Genesis Mission through a memorandum of understanding with the department. The partnership builds on existing efforts in areas such as open AI science models, AI-driven manufacturing and supply chain processes, nuclear energy, quantum computing, robotics, and materials and biological sciences.

White House AI Action Plan: Progress & Policy Changes Since July

Since the White House released its AI Action Plan in July, federal policymakers and agencies have taken key steps to implement components of the plan to accelerate U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence. Explore innovative AI use cases and connect with GovCon leaders at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 19. Reserve your seat today to be part of this transformative conversation. The plan outlines over 90 federal policy actions across three pillars: accelerating AII innovation, building American AI infrastructure and leading in international AI diplomacy and security.  Major follow-on actions by agencies touch on procurement, regulation,

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The General Services Administration has been making OneGov agreements with some of America’s biggest technology companies, including Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon Web Services, OpenAI and xAI.  OneGov, according to GSA, is intended to leverage the federal government’s collective spending power to standardize terms and pricing and streamline agencies’ access to vital IT tools.  In April 2025, Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service and a Wash100 awardee, called the procurement strategy a “big win” not just for government but for industry as well.  “We’re creating a more consistent, scalable and efficient way to buy technology—one that benefits agencies, [original equipment manufacturers] and taxpayers alike,” he said. “We

Marine Corps Unveils Drone Training Initiative

The U.S. Marine Corps has introduced a training and certification program to rapidly expand the number of qualified operators of small attack drones. What Is the Goal of the USMC Drone Training Program? The Department of War said Wednesday the initiative seeks to formalize training for operators of small attack drones, including Neros Archer and other first-person-view, or FPV, systems built from commercial off-the-shelf technology. The training program supports the department’s plan to deploy tens of thousands—and eventually hundreds of thousands—of attack drones across all service branches starting in March 2026. The framework, which builds on recent FPV drone competitions and

Home values in B.C.’s Lower Mainland are decreasing, and pricey properties are not immune.

The province’s top 10 most expensive residential properties, including ritzy mansions replete with pools and tennis courts and a private island acreage with a golf course, all fell in value in this year’s list.

Most of those homes are located in the Lower Mainland: eight are in Vancouver, one on the West Vancouver waterfront, and one a private Gulf Island.

B.C. Assessment, the Crown corporation that appraises properties, announced the 2026 property assessments in a news release Friday.

The assessments reflect market values as of July 1, 2025.

Notices will be mailed to property owners, and members of the public can also look up assessments on the B.C. Assessment website.

Top 3 most expensive B.C. properties in 2025

1. The Kitsilano abode of Lululemon founder Chip Wilson at 3085 Point Grey Rd., which has topped the list of the province’s most valuable homes since 2014, was assessed at $73,457,000 for 2025.

The seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom home decreased in value by 11 per cent over last year’s $82,664,000 assessment.

2. A 10-bedroom, 16-bathroom home at 4707 Belmont Ave. in Vancouver’s Point Grey neighbourhood has been valued at $69,878,000.

The home, overlooking Vancouver’s stunning Spanish Banks, decreased in value by 2.59 per cent.

3. Assessed at $57,096,000, James Island, a 311-hectare private island about a kilometre east of the Saanich Peninsula, is the third most valuable property in the province.

Previous real estate estate listings for the island showed the property includes a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, white sand beaches and six cottages.

The acreage fell in value by 0.75 per cent — or $430,000.

B.C.’s three most valuable properties have remained unchanged in ranking since at least 2017.

Top values outside of the Lower Mainland

Aside from James Island, the top valued property outside of the Lower Mainland was an acreage in Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island, about 20 kilometres northwest of Nanaimo. 1365 Dorcas Point Rd. was valued at $20,573,000, making it the 75th most expensive home in all of B.C.

The most expensive property in B.C.’s North was a $4,703,000 acreage at 6653 Lakeshore Dr. in the Peace River region, about 220 kilometres northeast of Prince George.

And in the Southern Interior, the priciest property was a single-family home valued at $14,771,000 in the District of Lake Country at 12990 Pixton Rd. It ranked No. 239 on B.C.’s list of 500 top valued homes.

Values decrease in Lower Mainland, vary elsewhere

B.C. Assessment said many homeowners in the Lower Mainland can expect some decreases in assessed value, ranging between -10 per cent to zero per cent, according to assessor Bryan Murao.

There are fewer changes and flatter values on Vancouver Island and in the Southern Interior, from -5 per cent to +5 per cent, while assessments in the North and the Kootenays can vary from -5 per cent to +15 per cent, Murao said in the release.

B.C. Assessment appraised more than 2.2 million homes in 2025, about a one per cent increase from 2025, with the value totalling $2.75 trillion, a decrease of almost 2.5 per cent from last year.

WATCH | Historic low for home sales in Greater Vancouver:

Greater Vancouver home sales drop to 25-year low

B.C. Real Estate Association chief economist Brendon Ogmundson tells CBC’s Stephen Quinn that there will be a 16 per cent drop in house sales in 2025 in the Greater Vancouver area, compared to 2024, and that while most markets in Canada and B.C. have recovered from the impacts of U.S. tariffs, it hasn’t yet happened in Vancouver.

Hasan Juma, a real estate agent with Oakwyn Realty, said in an interview that he had spoken to a number of homeowners already who were experiencing sticker shock, having seen their assessed value decrease.

He said the drop in average values in the Lower Mainland was expected among those in the real estate world, given analysts have said for months that it is a buyer’s market.

“It’s possible the gap gets larger between what a buyer is willing to pay and, you know, what a seller is willing to accept,” Juma said.

WATCH | Metro Vancouver could be a housing buyer’s market:

Metro Vancouver housing market looking good for buyers: analyst

A recent advertisement from a Surrey real estate agent which touted a 25 per cent discount on a housing unit highlights how buyers have an advantage in the current Metro Vancouver housing market. Mark Ting, a partner with Foundation Wealth and On The Coast’s personal finance columnist, says that the trend of housing prices going down may be sustained.