# Sandia Appoints Chief AI Officer

Sandia National Laboratories appointed Rob Leland as its first chief AI officer to guide safe and secure AI adoption across national-security engineering, support operations, and employee productivity. Sandia also cites a 10-year, $5 billion plan for research and development facilities, including areas such as AI, quantum computing, and materials science; the announcement provides no procurement schedule or active solicitation.

- This is a strategic market signal, not a contract opportunity. Contractors should not treat the facilities plan as an announced award or solicitation.
- Businesses offering secure AI tools, engineering applications, workforce training, or research infrastructure can assess how their capabilities align with Sandia’s stated areas of focus.
- The 10-year investment horizon signals potential future demand, but no start date, procurement timeline, or contact information is provided.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military, Information Technology
**Topics:** Artificial Intelligence
**Published:** October 09, 2026

### Government Entities
- Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia)

### Key Quotes
> If we can adopt this technology effectively, we can have a profound effect on the national security posture of the country.
> — Rob Leland, Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, Sandia National Laboratories

### Sources
- [Sandia Names Rob Leland Chief AI Officer](https://www.executivegov.com/articles/sandia-rob-leland-chief-ai-officer-appointment) - ExecutiveGov