As AI becomes increasingly important to research and the everyday tasks at the Lab, the ScienceIT team has evaluated a range of AI tools and developed options to support the diverse needs of the Lab community.
Beyond our core CBorg AI tools, Berkeley Lab offers access to a suite of commercial AI promotions, subscriptions and workspace integrations. Please visit AI Tools for detailed information, available models and enrollment instructions. ScienceIT has also launched a new service called ComputeView that allows teams and individual users to check usages, manage budget, and review any charges on ongoing projects.
Currently, Berkeley Lab has researched these limited-time trial offers tailored for our research community:
- Google Gemini Enterprise & Antigravity: Free through March 2027 (includes AGY 2.0, CLI, and VSCode integration)
- ChatGPT Rosalind: Free with 40,000 credits/month through Jan 2027 for biosciences.
- Claude for Science: One year of free Claude Team access for eligible PIs.
In addition to complimentary offers, the Lab community has access to the following paid options:
- Anthropic Claude Team: Claude Team requests will be reviewed by ScienceIT before subscription granted. Annual subscriptions priced at $20/month (1x) or $100/month (5x) per seat.
- ChatGPT Enterprise: Funding models will transition to usage-based billing beginning October 1, 2026.
- ChatGPT Pro / Business: Not available to new users given Lab-wide ChatGPT enterprise contract is in place.
- Google Gemini AI Studio: Includes $25/month in free usage (requires an active Google Cloud Project with a PID).
Current ChatGPT Enterprise users should be aware of several important changes as they transition from the complimentary tier to usage-based starting October 1, 2026:
- Continued Workspace Access: The Enterprise workspace will remain fully operational, enabling users to access ChatGPT via Berkeley Lab’s centrally managed workspace beyond September 30. Existing chats and saved work will remain preserved during and after this transition.
- Discounted Usage Rates: Berkeley Lab has secured a 50% discount off standard commercial usage rates. Additionally, ScienceIT is evaluating options for a baseline tier, with further details to follow.
- Streamlined Billing Portal: Funded accounts with approved PID and Activity ID will manage recharges through ComputeView portal.
“These AI options allow Lab researchers and staff to select the tier of access best suited to their operational needs and budget, while securing substantial savings and complimentary options for the Laboratory,” stated Wei Feinstein, Head of the ScienceIT Department, IT Division. “In parallel, Science IT is working to deploy larger Open Weight Open Source LLMs on-prem to further optimize token expenditures across the organization.”
Lastly, Google Workspace tools are automatically available to all Lab staff without additional requests, and are a cornerstone for collaboration and productivity for all teams:
- Gemini Chat: Access Google’s AI models directly at gemini.google.com.
- Gemini Notebook (NotebookLM): Research and organize documents at notebooklm.google.com.
Given the fast pace of the AI landscape, ScienceIT regularly reviews and updates AI offers and new capabilities You can always check ComputeView/tools for the latest updates and information on AI offers.
If you have any additional questions, please contact us at scienceIT@lbl.gov.
