About TRACC 

Argonne National Laboratory initiated a multi-year program with the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) in October 2006, to establish the Transportation Research and Analysis Computing Center (TRACC). As part of the TRACC project, a national high performance computer user facility was established, with full operations initiated in March 2008. In October of 2012, the Center installed a second high performance computing cluster to enhance its computing capability. 

The technical objectives of the TRACC project included the establishment of a high performance computing center for use by USDOT research teams, including those from Argonne and their university partners, and the use of advanced computing and visualization facilities for the performance of focused computer research and development programs in areas of interest for USDOT

These objectives were met by establishing a high-performance computing facility, known as the Transportation Research and Analysis Computing Center (TRACC), and providing technical support for its use by USDOT staff and their university and industry contractors. Starting in FY2013, TRACC increased its emphasis on establishing cost-sharing research programs through sponsored research with other Federal and non-Federal sponsors. This allows TRACC to take advantage of not only its state-of-the-art high performance computing resources but also the scientific expertise of its staff for Transportation Research and Analysis in the areas of:

  • Traffic Modeling and Simulation and Emergency Transportation Planning
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics for Infrastructure Analysis
  • Computational Structural Mechanics for Transportation Applications

TRACC Overview Presentation

     TRACC Overview: pdf file (46 MB)

Technology Development and Commercialization

A primary objective of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories is to promote the economic interests of the United States by facilitating development, transfer, and use of federally owned or originated technology to industry for public benefit and to leverage DOE resources through partnering with industry. Argonne's Technology Development and Commercialization Office works proactively with Argonne divisions and selected industry partners to develop commercialization strategies, seek partners with new applications and introduce advancements into commercial use through licenses and start-ups.

TRACC Partners

TRACC is linked to Federal and non-Federal R&D facilities, regional, state and city departments of transportation, and university transportation research centers. Federally sponsored USDOT partners currently include the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) with its Office of Planning (OoP) and the Turner-Fairbanks Highway Research Center (TFHRC) and include the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).