As energy demand grows, a team at Sandia is advancing AI-driven controls that respond to fluctuations in electricity use in real time. The technology could strengthen power resilience and help protect critical defense and national security infrastructure during disruptions and attacks. Learn more at bit.ly/3SQbD0r Photo by Craig Fritz

Instead of letting old lithium-ion batteries pile up as waste, Sandia researchers have developed a microwave-based process to recover and remake their cathodes, potentially turning spent batteries into a new domestic source of critical materials. “We’re about to have an abundance of old EV batteries that are either going to go to the landfill or that we can mine to develop a domestic supply,” said Clare Davis-Wheeler Chin, a Sandia nanomaterials chemist and an inventor of the method. In the photo, Clare loads a sample of cathode material into a microwave reactor to open it up into tiny layers called nanosheets. Learn more at bit.ly/4vFoxgE Photo by Craig Fritz

Sandia physicist Elizabeth Silber, pictured with her dog Morpheus, uses infrasound, a low-frequency sound too deep for people to hear, and seismic data to study meteors and other fast-moving objects in the atmosphere. When a meteoroid flashes across the sky, it generates a powerful shock wave similar to a sonic boom but produced high in the sky and often along a long path. As the shock wave spreads, it can turn into infrasound. Some of that energy might also transfer into the ground. When the pressure waves reach the ground, they can create tiny vibrations that register on earthquake sensors, making it possible to track meteoroids even when cameras and satellites miss them. Learn more at bit.ly/4v1SC90 Photo by Craig Fritz

Sandia systems engineer Judi See led an effort to develop a human readiness level scale, which federal agencies are working to implement. The scale ensures technologies are ready for human use. In an ideal world, Judi said, technical maturity and human readiness advance together. “While you’re making your technical improvements, you’re also at the same time thinking about the user of that technology,” she said. Learn more at bit.ly/4v3FQH1 Photo by Craig Fritz

Labs Director Laura McGill, left, connects with staff members during Sandia’s annual Art Fest. The event highlights how creativity fuels not only artistic expression but also scientific discovery and problem-solving. Learn more at bit.ly/4f4NRGI Photo by David Lienemann

The W80-4 Warhead Case Anomaly Resolution Team earned a public congratulations from Labs Director Laura McGill during a May 28 event in Livermore for the work that earned them an Employee Recognition Award and Labs Director’s Award. Learn more at bit.ly/43XjWKk Photo by Spencer Toy

Twenty individuals and 83 teams received Employee Recognition Awards at a 2026 celebration honoring innovation, teamwork and mission success. In the photo, Ken Plummer accepts the Labs Director’s Award from Laura McGill for the Mufasa Integrated Review Team’s technical excellence when asked to advise on the design of the Space Force’s Satellite Communication Augmentation Resource program and BADGER antenna system. The team’s implemented recommendations saved the government more than $10 million. Learn more at bit.ly/43XjWKk Photo by Craig Fritz

Sandia is re-creating flight-like heat to support NASA's Dragonfly mission to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. To help ensure the first-of-its-kind rotorcraft can withstand its fiery descent into Titan’s atmosphere, engineers completed a multiyear effort to qualify Dragonfly’s heat shield thermal protection system. The NASA team said it selected Sandia’s National Solar Thermal Test Facility because it is the only ground qualification facility that can reproduce the predicted amount of heat Dragonfly will face. Hundreds of mirror-like heliostats focused sunlight onto a 24-inch test area, delivering a controlled heat pulse that could exceed 4,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Learn more at bit.ly/4v41XOi Photo by Craig Fritz

Sandia is supporting NASA’s Dragonfly mission to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. To help ensure the first-of-its-kind rotorcraft can withstand its fiery descent into Titan’s atmosphere, engineers completed a multiyear effort to qualify Dragonfly’s heat shield thermal protection system. Hundreds of mirror-like heliostats focused sunlight onto a 24-inch test area, delivering a controlled heat pulse that could exceed 4,500 degrees Fahrenheit. In the photo, an engineer checks a sample of heat shield material before a test at Sandia’s National Solar Thermal Test Facility. Learn more at bit.ly/4v41XOi Photo by Craig Fritz

Sandia’s new hybrid supercomputer is boosting the Labs’ high-performance computing capabilities by balancing traditional scientific computing with AI-forward workloads on a versatile platform. AI-forward GPUs and many new interconnects help make Cronus a fast, powerful and versatile addition to Sandia’s computing resources. Learn more at bit.ly/4a0a1Hx Photo by Craig Fritz

Sandia’s new hybrid supercomputer is boosting the Labs’ high-performance computing capabilities by balancing traditional scientific computing with AI-forward workloads on a versatile platform. Building and running Cronus, with its 16 nodes working together, is like conducting an orchestra performing a complicated piece. “We’re trying to make them all play together in tune,” Sandia engineer Jeff Ogden said. Learn more at bit.ly/4a0a1Hx Photo by Craig Fritz

Sandia’s new hybrid supercomputer is boosting the Labs’ high-performance computing capabilities by balancing traditional scientific computing with AI-forward workloads on a versatile platform. Although their hardware components come from industry, Sandia supercomputers are custom machines designed for the Labs’ unique computing needs. Cronus supports mission and enterprise workloads. Learn more at bit.ly/4a0a1Hx Photo by Craig Fritz

Runners head up Sandia California’s Greenville Road entrance during the DOE Mile on May 27, 2026. The DOE Mile began 11 years ago at Sandia California and has evolved into an event that spans all 17 national labs. Photo by Spencer Toy

Runners and walkers celebrate during the DOE Mile on May 27, 2026 in Livermore, CA. The DOE Mile began 11 years ago at Sandia California and has evolved into an event that spans all 17 national labs. Photo by Spencer Toy

Sandia joined all 17 U.S. Department of Energy National Labs at the annual AI+ Expo in Washington, D.C., where 20,000 government, academic and industry leaders explored breakthroughs in AI, cybersecurity, robotics and energy. Sandia demonstrated how trusted AI can accelerate engineering and decision-making workflows while protecting sensitive data and supporting national security. Learn more at bit.ly/3PV5Kyf Photo by Heidi Komkov

Aires Tide, a new AI-designed, 3D-printed concept for fast-tracked test flights, is the first National Nuclear Security Administration breakthrough of the Genesis Mission, the White House initiative led by the U.S. Department of Energy to transform how DOE delivers on its mission through a network of AI-enabled supercomputers. Aires Tide also points to a future where designers and engineers could create new weapons systems in far less time and at lower cost than traditional methods. In the photo, Sandia National Laboratories researchers prepare a 1:2 scale Aires Tide flight vehicle for release from a balloon at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. Learn more at bit.ly/4voqHAU Photo by Craig Fritz

Aires Tide, a new AI-designed, 3D-printed concept for fast-tracked test flights, is the first National Nuclear Security Administration breakthrough of the Genesis Mission, the White House initiative led by the U.S. Department of Energy to transform how DOE delivers on its mission through a network of AI-enabled supercomputers. Aires Tide also points to a future where designers and engineers could create new weapons systems in far less time and at lower cost than traditional methods. In the photo, Sandia National Laboratories researchers launch a balloon carrying a scaled down version of Aires Tide. After its ascent, the balloon dropped the payload to allow researchers to collect flight data at high speeds. Learn more at bit.ly/4voqHAU Photo by Craig Fritz

Aires Tide, a new AI-designed, 3D-printed concept for fast-tracked test flights, is the first National Nuclear Security Administration breakthrough of the Genesis Mission, the White House initiative led by the U.S. Department of Energy to transform how DOE delivers on its mission through a network of AI-enabled supercomputers. Aires Tide also points to a future where designers and engineers could create new weapons systems in far less time and at lower cost than traditional methods. In five months, from October 2025 to March 2026, national laboratory researchers designed, built and tested multiple vehicles from scratch. Sandia National Laboratories successfully completed a drop test of a 1:2 scale version May 19 at the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. Following the test, the Sandia National Laboratories team retrieved and transported Aires Tide for further analysis. Learn more at bit.ly/4voqHAU Photo by Craig Fritz

Aires Tide, a new AI-designed, 3D-printed concept for fast-tracked test flights, is the first National Nuclear Security Administration breakthrough of the Genesis Mission, the White House initiative led by the U.S. Department of Energy to transform how DOE delivers on its mission through a network of AI-enabled supercomputers. Aires Tide also points to a future where designers and engineers could create new weapons systems in far less time and at lower cost than traditional methods. Sandia National Laboratories successfully completed a drop test of a 1:2 scale version May 19 at the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. In the photo, National Nuclear Security Administration Genesis Mission lead Charles Ball observes the drop test through binoculars. Learn more at bit.ly/4voqHAU Photo by Craig Fritz