Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI): Wave-Based Computing (WBC)

The Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI): Wave-Based Computing (WBC) solicitation, administered by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), funds transformative engineering research aimed at harnessing wave dynamics for advanced information processing. By exploiting physical wave dynamics, the initiative seeks to establish computing architectures capable of higher throughput and vastly reduced energy consumption compared to conventional digital electronics, driving new frontiers in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The program offers two main funding tracks: Track 1 (WBC-ER) provides exploratory EAGER grants between $100,000 and $400,000 for up to two years, while Track 2 (WBC-MR) supports multidisciplinary team research with awards up to $2,000,000 over four years. Collaborative research models that integrate industry ties, such as the NSF GOALI mechanism, are strongly encouraged to facilitate rapid translation of foundational discoveries into practical technological solutions.