The National Institute of Standards and Technology announced that it will partner with The MITRE Corporation on a $20 million project to stand up two new research centers focused on artificial intelligence, including how the technology may impact cybersecurity for U.S. critical infrastructure.
On Monday, the agency said one center will focus on advanced manufacturing while the second — the AI Economic Security Center to Secure U.S. Critical Infrastructure from Cyberthreats — will focus more directly on how industries that provide water, electricity, internet and other essential services can protect and maintain services in the face of AI-enabled threats. According to NIST, the centers will “drive the development and adoption” of AI-driven tools, including agentic AI solutions.
“The centers will develop the technology evaluations and advancements that are necessary to effectively protect U.S. dominance in AI innovation, address threats from adversaries’ use of AI, and reduce risks from reliance on insecure AI,” spokesperson Jennifer Huergo wrote in an agency release.
The two centers are part of a larger federal government investment to create federally funded AI research centers at NIST, some of which predated the Trump administration.
Earlier this year the White House overhauled the name and mission of the AI Safety Institute, rebranding it the Center for AI Standards and Innovation, that mirrored the administration’s broader shift away from AI safety issues while prioritizing American competition with China. Next year NIST plans to make another award for the creation of a new AI for Resilient Manufacturing Institute, a five-year, $70 million federal investment to combine expertise in AI, manufacturing and supply chain networks and promote resilience in the manufacturing sector.
AI boosters in the government, industry and Congress are betting that more federal muscle behind these applications will lead to innovation for U.S. AI projects. Huergo wrote that NIST “expects the AI centers to enable breakthroughs in applied science and advanced technology.”
Acting NIST Director Craig Burkhardt said the centers will collectively “focus on enhancing the ability of U.S. companies to make high-value products more efficiently, meet market demands domestically and internationally, and catalyze discovery and commercialization of new technologies and devices.”
CyberScoop reached out to MITRE and NIST for additional details on the centers and their work.
Nearly every source contacted by CyberScoop for reaction said they supported broader collaboration from government and industry on AI security and critical infrastructure.
Many industrial sectors have been pummeled by ransomware, foreign hacking and other digital threats over the past decade. The speed and scale advantages provided by large language models could put more stress on IT and security teams, many of whom already deal with chronically underfunded budgets.
Randy Dougherty, CIO of Trellix, told CyberScoop that by focusing on cybersecurity for critical infrastructure, “NIST is tackling the ‘high-stakes’ end of the AI spectrum where accuracy and reliability are non-negotiable.”
Some sources said it was important for any effort to invite stakeholders from the industries they’re trying to protect and ensure their input is included.
Gary Barlet, public sector chief technology officer at cybersecurity company Illumio, flagged two sectors in particular – water and power – that are essential to most modern critical services, saying that securing their IT, OT and supply chains should be among the center’s first priorities.
But in order to help, Barlet said that NIST and the government must ensure those sectors have a meaningful seat at the table and can translate any research insights into workable solutions. Getting those parties on board will be crucial because, he said, those are the people “who will be answering to Congress if something goes wrong, not the AI developers.”
“Too often, these centers are built by technologists for technologists, while the people who actually run our power grids, water systems, and other critical infrastructure are left out of the conversation,” Barlet said.