Congress Approves $6.2 Million for Maine High-Performance Computing Hub Secured by Senator Collins

The funding now heads to the President to be signed into law.

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $6,200,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for the establishment of a Maine High-Performance Computing Hub in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Appropriations bill that passed the Senate today. The bill, which was approved by the House of Representatives last week, now heads to the President's desk to be signed into law.

"Investing in high-performance computing would strengthen Maine's research capacity, support innovation-driven industries, and help grow good-paying jobs across our state," said Senator Collins. "This funding will help to ensure that Maine remains competitive in the digital economy while expanding opportunities for our students, businesses, and communities. As the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, I worked hard to secure this important funding."

"This investment in high-performance computing will serve as a cornerstone for Maine's innovation-driven economy," said Garvan Donegan of the Central Maine Growth Council. "It will empower entrepreneurs, researchers, and industry leaders with the tools needed to accelerate product development, drive commercialization, and compete in data-intensive sectors such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing. At the same time, it will deepen collaboration between academic institutions and the private sector, strengthening Maine's knowledge economy and positioning the state as a hub for cutting-edge research and scalable innovation. We are deeply grateful to Senator Collins for advancing this critical infrastructure for long-term economic growth."

This project, led by the Central Maine Growth Council, will provide access to advanced computing for Maine's businesses, researchers, and educators, supporting innovation in a variety of fields such as precision medicine and sustainable food.

In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending. Following this decision, Senator Collins has secured more than $1.2 billion for hundreds of Maine projects in FY 2022, FY 2023, FY 2024, and FY 2026 (to date). As the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championing targeted investments that will benefit Maine communities.

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