National Programmable Cloud Laboratories Network Act of 2025
Latest action · Jul 13, 2026 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 451.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedDec 11, 2025
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
National Programmable Cloud Laboratories Network Act of 2025
This bill provides statutory authority for a national programmable cloud laboratories program established by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Programmable cloud laboratories allow researchers to remotely design and run experiments in an automated, artificial-intelligence-enabled laboratory.
Under the bill, NSF, in consultation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), must designate up to six entities to operate cloud laboratories, called nodes, to comprise a national network. Eligible entities include institutions of higher education, private or nonprofit research entities, and groups thereof. In designating nodes, NSF must ensure, to the extent practicable, that at least one node can support biotechnology research. (On July 16, 2025, NSF issued a program solicitation seeking applicants to serve as nodes.)
Designated nodes must provide access to advanced scientific and manufacturing instruments and a secure digital infrastructure. Where practicable, nodes must leverage commercially available hardware and software to minimize cost and accelerate deployment of automated capabilities.
NIST, in cooperation with NSF and designated nodes, must establish and periodically update network-wide interoperability standards, data-sharing protocols, and minimum technical requirements and operating procedures.
Further, after all nodes are designated, NSF must identify other laboratories that have or are developing programmable, automated, or remotely accessible research infrastructure and assess the potential for coordination between nodes and these laboratories.
The bill provides for annual grants to each designated node for up to five years. The program and any associated funding terminate on September 30, 2031.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Dec 11, 2025.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-NC | Ted Budd | Original | Dec 11, 2025 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee | Referred Dec 11, 2025Markup Feb 12, 2026Reported Jul 13, 2026 |
Actions 5
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 13, 2026Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with amendments. With written report No. 119-129.
- Jul 13, 2026Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 451.
- Feb 12, 2026Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with amendments favorably.
- Dec 11, 2025Introduced in Senate
- Dec 11, 2025Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Jul 8, 2026S. 3468, National Programmable Cloud Laboratories Network Act of 2025As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on February 12, 2026
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| IF13269 | Artificial Intelligence and Biosecurity Issues | Resource | Aug 3, 2026 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to establish a national programmable cloud laboratories network to enhance research efficiency, innovation, and collaboration, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- National Programmable Cloud Laboratories Network Act of 2025
- Short Title(s) as Reported to Senate
- National Programmable Cloud Laboratories Network Act of 2025
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.
- Advanced technology and technological innovations
- Computer security and identity theft
- Computers and information technology
- Data collection, sharing, protection
- Employment and training programs
- Intergovernmental relations
- Internet, web applications, social media
- Public-private cooperation
- Research and development
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Telephone and wireless communication
Text 2
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 13, 2026Reported to Senate
- Dec 11, 2025Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
