The U.S. Energy Department's research arm is leveraging machine learning technologies to simplify the design process for energy systems ranging from photovoltaics and wind turbines to aircraft engine compressors. The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, or ARPA-E, last month announced 23 research contracts totaling $15 million to incorporate machine learning into energy product designs. The first-phase contracts are part of an ARPA-E initiative dubbed DIFFERENTIATE, standing for--take a breath--Design Intelligence Fostering Formidable Energy Reduction (and) Enabling Novel Totally Impactful Advanced Technology Enhancements. David Tew, an ARPA-E program director, said the two-year machine learning effort is focused on the engineering design process with the goal of optimizing power generation systems. Along with wind turbines and photovoltaics, DIFFERENTIATE also will focus on power conversion and heat transfer systems, aerodynamics, photonics and range of foundational energy technologies.