Sandia National Laboratories Campuses

The Carlsbad Programs Group satellite campus focuses on nuclear waste management and repository performance assessment, supporting the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) operations and related national security missions.

• Performance Assessment and Decision Analysis: Modeling long-term repository behavior.
• Geological Repository Sciences: Studies in salt mechanics and actinide chemistry.

The Sandia National Laboratories California campus, located adjacent to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, specializes in high-fidelity simulations, energy technologies, cybersecurity, and advanced engineering solutions critical to national security. This site complements the New Mexico operations with a focus on computational sciences, materials under extreme conditions, and innovative energy systems, supporting stockpile stewardship through unique experimental and modeling capabilities.

• Computational Sciences and High-Energy Density Physics: Inertial confinement fusion simulations, multi-physics modeling, and advanced algorithms for predictive science.
• Cybersecurity and Information Technology: Research in resilient networks, quantum information science, and AI-driven threat detection.
• Energy and Climate: Biofuels development, hydrogen technologies, grid modernization, and carbon capture programs.
• Advanced Manufacturing and Photonics: MEMS/NEMS fabrication, laser systems, and optical engineering for defense applications.
• Nanotechnology and Biological Sciences: Biosensors, synthetic biology, and microscale systems for detection and response.

Key facilities include the Combustion Research Facility, Center for Cyber Defenders, and collaborative spaces with LLNL, enabling cutting-edge research in emerging technologies like hypersonics and space systems tailored to Department of Energy priorities.

The Sandia National Laboratories New Mexico campus, headquartered on Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, serves as the primary hub for the laboratory's core missions in national security, particularly nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship, nonproliferation, arms control, and counterterrorism. This expansive site hosts the majority of Sandia's engineering, science, and technology directorates, emphasizing integrated weapon system development, advanced simulation capabilities, and multidisciplinary research to ensure the reliability and safety of the U.S. nuclear deterrent.

• Nuclear Weapons Engineering and Science: Programs in weapon design, certification, and surveillance, including the Advanced Strategic Computing initiative leveraging exascale computing.
• Materials and Manufacturing Sciences: Research in advanced materials, hypersonics, microsystems, and additive manufacturing for extreme environments.
• Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences: Geoscience modeling, climate security, and renewable energy technologies like solar and wind systems evaluation.
• High Performance Computing: Development of next-generation supercomputers and AI/ML for national security applications.
• Radiation, Nuclear Detection, and Consequences: Sensor development, treaty verification, and emergency response modeling.

The campus features specialized facilities such as the National Solar Thermal Test Facility, Z Machine for high-energy physics, and extensive computational labs, fostering collaborations with universities and other national labs to advance U.S. strategic interests.

The Tonopah Test Range is a specialist remote site for testing non-nuclear weapons systems and components in expansive desert terrain.

• Weapons Testing: Flight tests, ordnance evaluation.
• Systems Integration: Missile and drone testing ranges.