New centers would develop AI-driven tools to strengthen U.S. manufacturing productivity and critical infrastructure cybersecurity.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced it is investing $20 million to establish two centers for artificial intelligence (AI) research and development to support U.S. manufacturing and critical infrastructure protection. The announcement is part of NIST’s broader effort to implement elements of the White House’s July 2025 America’s AI Action Plan.

The two new entities, the AI Economic Security Center for U.S. Manufacturing Productivity and the AI Economic Security Center to Secure U.S. Critical Infrastructure from Cyberthreats, are intended to drive the development and adoption of AI-based tools for national priority areas. The centers will focus on developing and evaluating AI-driven technologies to improve production efficiency, strengthen cybersecurity for critical systems, and mitigate risks associated with insecure or adversarial AI use.

The award to support these centers was granted to the nonprofit MITRE Corporation, which will operate the centers in collaboration with NIST, industry partners, and academic institutions. NIST said the partnership leverages MITRE’s experience operating federally funded research and development centers to advance applied AI technologies.

“This investment will help accelerate the application of AI in American manufacturing and help drive the American manufacturing renaissance,” said Paul Dabbar, Deputy Secretary of Commerce. “We can harness AI to increase the competitiveness of our manufacturers and attract investment in America.”

Craig Burkhardt, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Acting NIST Director, said the agreement with MITRE aims to “enhance 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.”

NIST plans to use existing resources and partnerships to build on its AI expertise and support its Strategy for American Technology Leadership in the 21st Century. The agency also said it plans to announce a separate award in the coming months for an AI-focused institute under the Manufacturing USA program, which could receive up to $70 million in combined federal and nonfederal funds over five years to promote manufacturing resilience.