The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the United States Department of Commerce, previously announced the formation of the Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Consortium ("AISIC") through a publication dated November 2, 2023 (88 FR 75276). AISIC brought together more than 280 organizations to develop science-based and empirically backed guidelines and standards for artificial intelligence (AI) measurement, laying a foundation for global AI metrology. Through this succeeding notice, NIST is announcing the retitling of AISIC as the NIST Artificial Intelligence Consortium ("Consortium"), revising the scope of the Consortium's research, and reissuing its invitation to organizations to submit letters of interest in order to collaborate with NIST, non-profit organizations, industry leaders, universities, and other agencies of the Federal Government in addressing the challenges associated with the development and deployment of AI-based innovations. In support of NIST's directives under the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (Pub. L. 116-283), in accordance with Executive Order 14179 issued January 23, 2025 (Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence), and as mandated by America's AI Action Plan, issued July 2025, NIST will utilize the Consortium to empower the collaborative establishment of a new measurement science that will enable the identification of proven, scalable, and interoperable techniques and metrics to promote the development and use of AI. Interested organizations should describe the technical expertise and products, data, and/or models that they will bring to the Consortium to support the Consortium's collaborative research activities. Participation in the Consortium is open to all interested organizations that can contribute their expertise, products, data, and/or models to the Consortium activities. Selected participants will be required to enter into a Consortium Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with NIST. At NIST's discretion, entities that are not legally permitted to enter into CRADAs pursuant to law may be allowed to participate in the Consortium under a separate non-CRADA agreement. Organizations that are already members of the Consortium ("Consortium Members") are not required to reapply to NIST but may be asked to sign amendments to their current agreements with NIST that reflect the refocused direction of the Consortium.

On September 5, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14346 (Modifying the Scope of Reciprocal Tariffs and Establishing Procedures for Implementing Trade and Security Agreements). Executive Order 14346 directed and authorized the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) and the United States Trade Representative (Trade Representative) to implement the terms of any framework trade and security agreement or final trade and security agreement concluded between the United States and a foreign trading partner that involve the national emergency declared in Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025 (Regulating Imports with a Reciprocal Tariff to Rectify Trade Practices that Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits), or threats to the national security found pursuant to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (Section 232). On January 15, 2026, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) signed the Memorandum of Understanding Between the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States and the American Institute in Taiwan Relating to Taiwan-U.S. Investment (MOU). In the MOU, the United States committed to, among other things, modify tariffs imposed under Section 232 in certain respects. On February 12, 2026, AIT and TECRO signed the Agreement Between the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States on Reciprocal Trade Between the United States of America and Taiwan (ART or Agreement). Both the MOU and the ART qualify for implementation under Executive Order 14346. The Secretary and Trade Representative are taking necessary and appropriate action to implement the MOU at this time. The Secretary and Trade Representative are not implementing the ART at this time as it has not yet entered into force. This notice amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) to implement the terms of the MOU pertaining to the modification of certain Section 232 tariffs applied to automobile parts, timber, lumber, and wood derivative products of Taiwan. In addition, the MOU states that the United States will remove derivative Section 232 steel, aluminum, and copper tariffs from aircraft components that are products of Taiwan.

The Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is initiating a competitive pilot program for existing MEP center(s) to accelerate the adoption and commercialization of advanced manufacturing technologies that enhance the competitiveness of the domestic industrial base. This program will target key sectors where MEP center(s) will lead the development and validation of shared technology frameworks to substantially accelerate the acceptance of advanced manufacturing methods or transform fragmented supply chains into a robust ecosystem. These frameworks will provide a foundation for small- and medium-sized manufacturers to establish capabilities for future production needs or reduce barriers to entry into new markets. Two manufacturing technology topics have been identified for this pilot program: (1) additive manufacturing for aerospace components; and (2) a domestic critical minerals supply chain. This NOI is provided to allow potential applicants time to begin developing proposal strategies and establishing collaborations among industry, academic, Federal laboratory, and state/local government partners.