Kitware Receives $1.15M DOE Phase II SBIR to Advance Digital Twins Technology
Kitware expands its network digital twin framework to develop scalable modeling tools that improve data flow and reduce network downtime across research institutions, supercomputing centers, and national labs.
Clifton Park, NY — November 18, 2025 — Kitware has been awarded a two-year, $1.15 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to continue developing its network digital-twin framework, which models the specialized computer networks that connect national labs, supercomputing centers, and research institutions. Building on the success of Phase I, Kitware will expand the virtual modeling framework to enable faster, more intelligent simulations of how complex networks behave under real-world conditions.
Research networks transfer massive amounts of data between distributed facilities, but are challenging to test and optimize in physical environments due to their scale and complexity. Kitware’s digital-twin framework provides a virtual testing ground where network configurations can be safely modeled, evaluated, and refined before real-world deployment.
This effort builds on Kitware’s successful Phase I project, which developed a prototype capable of predicting network behavior using high-fidelity simulation and machine learning. The next phase will expand this work to make the framework more scalable, accurate, and accessible for researchers and service providers.
“Our goal is to make network modeling faster, smarter, and more accessible,” said Caitlin Ross, Principal Investigator and Senior R&D Engineer at Kitware. “By combining parallel discrete-event simulation with machine learning, we can help researchers and service providers explore how changes in configuration or topology affect performance before they’re implemented in the real world.”
The resulting framework has the potential to improve both research and commercial networks, including cloud service providers, where even small latency increases can carry significant financial consequences. The insights gained will support real-time decision-making for high-throughput, low-latency applications such as streaming analytics and large-scale data transfers.
This award continues Kitware’s long-standing partnership with the DOE and reinforces its commitment to advancing tools that accelerate scientific discovery through modeling, simulation, and artificial intelligence.
Acknowledgement: “This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research, under Award Number DE-SC0024771.”
Disclaimer: “This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.”
About Kitware
Kitware delivers innovation to its customers. As a software research and development company, Kitware solves the world’s most complex scientific challenges using custom software solutions built on open source technology. In addition to custom software development, the company also offers technical support and training services to anyone using its open source tools. Since its founding in 1998, Kitware has developed a reputation for its unparalleled technical expertise and excellent customer service. The company is proud to be 100% employee-owned. For additional information, visit kitware.com or follow them on LinkedIn and Twitter.