DOE, FBI Tackle Legacy System Challenges with AI and Cloud

Agencies are increasingly replacing legacy systems with modern cloud architectures that support AI, data centralization and stronger cybersecurity. Energy Department and FBI officials speaking at the Google Public Sector Summit in Washington, D.C., this week noted how their respective cloud efforts are dismantling siloed systems that tend to introduce inefficiencies and security vulnerabilities.

Data Drives DOE’s AI Adoption Efforts

The Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is applying data-driven methods to identify the best technologies for scaling AI and improving decision-making. Paul Rigor, cloud architect at PNNL, said the lab’s PermitAI project is helping DOE streamline the federal permitting process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

PermitAI uses AI to centralize NEPA decision data, which often lives in siloed systems, and convert it into a machine-readable format that accelerates project reviews. The effort aims to reduce permitting wait times and modernize how agencies manage complex documentation for infrastructure projects, said Rigor.

Rigor added that PNNL relied on a rigorous evaluation process to compare vendor capabilities before partnering with Google on the project.

“With the emergence of generative AI and other workflows, it’s a matter of mapping best-in-class services to meet our mission,” he said.

In a statement, DOE described PermitAI as a part of a broader investment in technology and policy modernization to help agencies deliver infrastructure projects faster and more efficiently.

Unified Systems Strengthen Security at the FBI

Both DOE and FBI officials said modernization means dismantling siloed, outdated systems. The FBI’s Mobility Program Office (MPO) is consolidating fragmented systems to streamline updates and strengthen cybersecurity across the agency’s device inventory.

“We had open devices with different operating systems and patch levels. It wasn’t unified at all,” said David Waters, the office’s unit chief. “Our goal was to simplify the stack from hardware to software so it’s easier on our team to manage those devices.”

By centralizing device management and adopting secure-by-design principles, the FBI is addressing one of modernization’s biggest challenges: expanding attack surfaces as more devices operate at the edge.

“You always hear the question, ‘What keeps you up at night?’ For me, the answer is someone attacking and gaining access to our devices,” Waters said. “Simplify your tools and devices as much as possible, from the silicon all the way up to the cloud, because it’s easier in the long run.”