Sen. Lindsey Graham, Rep. Joe Wilson and Energy Secretary Chris Wright were among the many dignitaries who visited Aiken, Thursday morning, to celebrate the opening of the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative (AMC) at the USC Aiken campus.
When construction began on the 63,000 square foot research facility in spring of 2022, it was already 11 years in development. The project represents a partnership between the university, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), an investment of $66 million to expand SRNL’s research and development efforts beyond Savannah River Site.
“A lot of our work at Savannah River National Lab has been done in secret. It’s almost a secret research facility,” said SRNL director Johney Green. “And so this gives us an open door to the community, an open door to our academic partners here.”
Research interests at AMC will range from advancing automation, materials design and cybersecurity to nuclear energy tech, fusion and artificial intelligence. Silica-X, a company that transforms industrial and consumer waste into synthetic stones; Antara, which produces nuclear microreactors; and Xcimer, a Colorado energy company that researches fusion tech, are among AMC’s many industrial partners.
Secretary White highlighted that the grand opening of the AMC coincided with President Donald Trump’s 200th day in office. Touting the new facility’s capabilities, Wright compared it to the Manhattan Project in significance and scope, emphasizing its potential contribution to securing U.S. dominance in the energy sector and AI, particularly over China.
“If we lagged behind China in the development of artificial intelligence, [it’s a] massive national security threat to our country. It’s not just for business and consumers. We think about our scientific advancement, artificial intelligence will be incredibly important in national defense,” said Wright. “If we trail we’re going to be second fiddle to China. That’s a completely different world than the world we live in today. It’s an unacceptable outcome.”
Sen. Graham called the new lab a “godsend,” also emphasizing nuclear energy, fusion and cyber security projects, referencing Savannah River Site’s former reputation as “the bomb plant.”
“If you build a nuclear power plant, you have to have a security footprint approved by the government, because we don’t want our nuclear power plants unsecured. I think we need to be thinking the same about data centers,” said Graham. “ I’d like this place to come up with a plan to provide security that can be replicated all over the country when it comes to AI centers, because the bad guys can put us out of business if we don’t watch it.”
The Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative is located at 4345 Trolley Line Road in Aiken.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
