From Manhattan Project secrets to the future of global energy

Countries & Cities · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Sandia National Laboratories is more than a high-security site; it is a massive engine of American innovation. From hosting the world's fastest supercomputers to pioneering combustion science, this multi-mission laboratory transforms fundamental physics into national security and sustainable energy solutions.

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) serves as a cornerstone of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. While its roots are deeply tied to World War II and the Manhattan Project, its modern mandate is a broad "multimission" scope. The laboratory manages roughly 70 areas of activity, ranging from nuclear deterrence and nonproliferation to climate change research, computational biology, and cognitive science.

A primary hub for this work is the Combustion Research Facility (CRF). Established in the 1970s as the first U.S. Department of Energy user facility, the CRF has spent over 40 years leading international combustion science. It functions as a collaborative ecosystem, hosting more than 150 collaborators annually—including university faculty, graduate students, and industrial partners—to solve high-priority energy problems and develop new research methods.

The facility's impact is underscored by the careers of its researchers. For example, Paul Miles spent 33 years at Sandia driving breakthroughs in engine-combustion research, eventually receiving the DOE Vehicle Technologies Office Lifetime Achievement Award. This legacy of expertise supports the lab's ability to tackle extreme environments, utilizing tools like the Z Machine, the world's largest X-ray generator, to test materials under intense temperature and pressure.

Today, Sandia operates across three main locations: its headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico; a second principal facility in Livermore, California; and a test facility in Waimea, Hawaii. By bridging the gap between fundamental physical sciences and applied technologies, the laboratory ensures that American energy and security infrastructure remains resilient in a changing world.

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