HR2385-119

What This Bill Does

The CREATE AI Act establishes the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource, or NAIRR, to make advanced AI research infrastructure available beyond the largest technology companies. NSF must establish NAIRR within one year in coordination with an OSTP-chaired steering subcommittee. NSF must also create a Program Management Office, select an operating entity through a competitive process, establish advisory committees for research, education, civil rights, safety, privacy, security, and other issues, and coordinate with agencies such as NIST, CISA, and OMB. NAIRR resources include cloud, on-premises, hybrid, and emerging compute; open-source software; application support; secure enclaves; curated datasets; an AI open data commons; federal statistical data access; educational and training materials; technical support; outreach for STEM participation; and AI testbeds. Eligible users include U.S.-based researchers, educators, students, higher education institutions, nonprofits, executive agencies, federally funded research centers, certain small businesses with federal funding, and consortia, while people employed by or acting for covered foreign countries are excluded. The Program Management Office must set privacy, ethics, safety, security, trustworthiness, scientific-integrity, audit, fee, and research-security processes, and NAIRR can accept private cash, services, and personal property donations.

Who Benefits and How

University AI researchers benefit from access to compute, datasets, testbeds, and technical support that are often concentrated inside large technology companies. Students in STEM programs benefit from NAIRR educational tools, training materials, user support, and targeted outreach to broaden participation. Federally funded small businesses benefit because eligible firms can access NAIRR resources when they have federal research funding such as SBIR or STTR support. Nonprofit research institutions benefit from shared AI infrastructure and curated datasets without needing to build hyperscale compute on their own. NIST AI testbed staff benefit from a statutory role coordinating benchmarking, testing, and evaluation resources for NAIRR users. Public cloud providers benefit from a pathway to provide compute and storage services to NAIRR users.

Who Bears the Burden and How

NSF Program Management Office staff must establish NAIRR, select an operating entity, manage resources, coordinate advisory committees, and oversee day-to-day functions. OSTP steering subcommittee members must govern interagency coordination and approve priorities across participating executive agencies. NAIRR operating entity staff must run applications, audits, user access, resource allocation, fee schedules, open data commons, and security controls. Researchers connected to covered foreign countries are barred from eligible-user status and cannot access NAIRR through the bill's authorization. Resource providers must satisfy NAIRR ethics, privacy, cybersecurity, interoperability, scientific-integrity, and research-security requirements. OMB, CISA, NIST, and NSF privacy counsel must coordinate policies on security frameworks, federal statistical data, privacy law, and research integrity.

Key Provisions

• Creates NAIRR within one year under NSF coordination with an OSTP-chaired steering subcommittee.
• Establishes an NSF Program Management Office, operating entity selection process, advisory committees, and interagency governance.
• Requires NAIRR to provide compute, cloud access, software, secure enclaves, curated datasets, open data commons, educational tools, technical support, outreach, and AI testbeds.
• Defines eligible users as U.S.-based researchers, educators, students, higher education institutions, nonprofits, executive agencies, federally funded research centers, and certain federally funded small businesses.
• Bars individuals employed by or acting for covered foreign countries from eligible-user status.
• Requires privacy, ethics, safety, security, trustworthiness, scientific-integrity, audit, fee, research-security, and cybersecurity processes.
• Authorizes NAIRR to accept private-sector donations of cash, services, and personal property.