Argonne National Laboratory researchers used AI and HPC to rapidly identify and classify SARS-CoV-2 variants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the Polaris supercomputer orchestrated by Altair PBS Professional, the team trained genome-scale language models on 1.5 million viral genomes. This approach dramatically accelerated mutation analysis compared to traditional protein-by-protein methods. The research enabled faster detection of variants of concern and supported vaccine and treatment development. The breakthrough work earned the 2022 Gordon Bell Special Prize and demonstrated how AI-driven analytics on HPC systems can transform biological research and global health response.

Join for free to read