Energy Secretary Chris Wright speaks to members of the press early Monday evening outside the Oppenheimer House on Bathtub Row in downtown Los Alamos. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

• The major race is in AI and it is critical that the U.S. comes out ahead. –DOE Secretary Chris Wright

Standing outside the former residence of J. Robert Oppenheimer early Monday evening, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright paid homage to Los Alamos’ past while laying out the objective for the present.

Wright, who assumed the role of energy secretary just three weeks ago, said the Manhattan Project came together in two-and-a-half years. He described it as a “moonshot” to create a nuclear weapon ahead of America’s enemies, but it did, thus ending World War II, saving tens of thousands of American lives and setting the U.S. to win the Cold War.

Now, the major race is in AI, Wright said, adding that it is critical for the U.S. to once again come out ahead.

“That’s what Los Alamos did,” Wright explained. “That’s what this laboratory did and now AI is the next Manhattan Project. This is an incredibly fast-moving scientific pace, and it’s critical that we win this race as well. It’s equally harrowing if we end up second and behind in AI. It’s hard to overstate the importance and impact AI will have in defense, in economics, in science. This is just a very powerful new tool being developed rapidly. We need to win the second Manhattan Project race as well of AI and I think Los Alamos, this laboratory and sister laboratories in the system are going to need to work at high speed and be enabled to win that race.”

Wright made these remarks during a meeting with the press, which concluded his visit to Los Alamos before traveling Tuesday to Sandia National Laboratory. DOE spokesperson Ben Dietderich reported on the rest of the itinerary for Monday’s visit, which involved briefings from LANL top officials, tours of several LANL facilities including the plutonium facility and the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) facility, a visit to the Manhattan Project Historical National Park and hearing reports on all the laboratory’s activities including its nuclear weapons program and partnership with Open AI.

Wright said it was his first time in Los Alamos and he praised the laboratory and the community.

“Absolutely outstanding to visit Los Alamos National Labs,” he said. “Truly a national treasure. As a kid in high school, I was very fascinated in nuclear physics and astronomy and the Manhattan Project – this incredible coming together engineering effort. I wanted to visit this lab, this location, since I was 15. Today is my first day in that lab. What I saw and what I learned is just inspiring.”

While Wright offered a rosy picture of LANL, he was asked to remark on the turmoil happening in the federal government such as the widespread firings of federal employees and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) gaining access to classified and sensitive information in the federal government. Would any of these things start appearing at Los Alamos National Laboratory?

Regarding whether LANL or Sandia National Laboratories would be affected by the federal layoffs, Wright said, “No; right now, they are managed by contractors so that’s a whole separate thing. If there is an impact it would be incredibly modest, but likely zero impact.”

When asked if DOGE would get access to sensitive data at the laboratories, Wright simply said, no; adding he didn’t expect that to happen.

Another question was whether the national laboratories would continue to receive Inflation Reduction Act funding. Wright said a lot of that “is still flowing” but the new administration has new priorities. However, he added that the administration will follow the law for contracts that are in place.

“There is a lot of unallocated funds, and the goal is to deploy those as effectively as possible, to grow our supply of affordable, reliable secure American energy and continue to have America lead the race in science and not just applied science but basic, fundamental understanding as well,” Wright said. “We have things from basic science to applied science all the way to AI all happening here in Los Alamos.”

In closing, Wright praised LANL, Los Alamos and the whole state.

“When we had to bring scientists … this lab was chosen for a reason: incredible physical beauty, a thriving community around it and it’s built into a growing scientific community here and people want to come here, they want to live here,” he said. “The expertise – I met multi-generational workers in the lab today – their parents worked at the lab and they’re working at the lab and maybe their kids will work at the lab so there’s a great scientific culture here, a great desire to be patriotic and work for the betterment of our country whether that’s on national security, economics or science perspective. So, I want to thank New Mexico and New Mexicans for the great culture and the great contributions to our country. We have Los Alamos lab here and not too far away, Sandia. I don’t think there’s a state in the country with that high a percent of national lab employees and cutting-edge scientists in our country.”

About Chris Wright:

Chris Wright is the 17th Secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy. A self-described energy nerd turned entrepreneur; he is said to be a dedicated humanitarian with a passion for bringing the benefits of energy to every community in the world. This passion has inspired a career in energy, working not only in oil and gas but nuclear, solar, and geothermal. As Secretary of Energy, Wright is focused on unleashing American energy dominance, accelerating innovation and advancing all energy sources that are affordable, reliable and secure for the American people.

Wright completed an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at MIT and graduate work in Electrical Engineering at UC Berkeley and MIT. He founded Pinnacle Technologies and served as CEO from 1992 to 2006. Pinnacle created the hydraulic fracture mapping industry, and its innovations helped launch commercial shale gas production in the late 1990s. Wright was Chairman of Stroud Energy, an early shale gas producer, before selling to Range Resources in 2006. Most recently, he served as Chairman and CEO of Liberty Energy, where his team helped to expand the shale revolution to include oil as well as natural gas. Wright has also participated in an effort to apply shale technology to unlock next-generation geothermal and helped to launch small modular reactors.

Wright was nominated by President Trump on Nov. 16, 2024 to serve as the 17th Secretary of Energy, and confirmed Feb. 3, 2025 by the U.S. Senate. He grew up and in Colorado and lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife. He is described as a passionate father, grandfather, skier, cyclist, climber and outdoor enthusiast.