ORNL’s new 100,000-square-foot facility pushes the frontiers of quantum computing, battery tech

What This Story Is About

• Oak Ridge National Laboratory has opened its fully operational, 100,000-square-foot Translational Research Capability facility, uniting multidisciplinary scientists to accelerate breakthroughs in quantum computing, grid storage and battery technology.

Why It Matters

• From keeping smartphones charged longer to building utility-scale batteries for AI data centers and deploying the nation’s first scientific-scale quantum computer, the research happening inside the TRC directly impacts consumer technology and national energy security.

What Happens Next

• Scientists have begun operating specialized testbeds, including the “Pathfinder” quantum computing testbed, with long-term plans to deploy a large-scale quantum computer within the next five to 10 years.

For Context

• The TRC features purpose-built spaces designed to eliminate vibration and electromagnetic interference, alongside one of the driest laboratory environments in the entire Department of Energy complex.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Just a few hundred yards from the historic Graphite Reactor that helped launch the atomic age more than 80 years ago, Oak Ridge National Laboratory has officially opened its newest scientific powerhouse: the 100,000-square-foot Translational Research Capability (TRC).