The Federal HPCC Program Applications and technologies

	Applications and technologies
Applications and technologies	HPCC technologies have revolutionized U.S. scientific and engineering research and development (R&D). This has led to better understanding and management of our environment, safer and more energy-efficient cars and planes, better understanding of the human body, new and more effective medical treatments, advanced national defense and national security systems, and advances in fundamental science and engineering. They continue to revolutionize how virtually every sector of the economy functions and how we teach, learn, work, and live.   These accomplishments are the result of long-term strategic R&D conducted by the Federal High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) Program in cooperation with U.S. academia and industry. The Program has accelerated the development of: Fundamentally new computing systems - scalable parallel systems - that are a thousand times faster than systems available five years earlier Totally new computer communications paradigm manifested in today's Internet Advanced software technologies including high performance systems software and tools for parallel computations Building on these technologies, the Program has developed new applications software to address the complementary Grand Challenges and National Challenges; for example, many Grand Challenges provide computational services for information-intensive National Challenges.   Grand Challenges are computation-intensive fundamental problems in science and engineering, with broad economic and scientific impact, whose solution can be advanced by applying HPCC technologies and resources.   National Challenges are information-intensive fundamental applications that have broad and direct impact on the Nation's competitiveness and the well-being of its citizens, and that can benefit from the application of HPCC technologies and resources.   In FY 1996 the HPCC Program is a $1.1 billion effort that is planned and implemented by 12 Federal organizations. HPCC R&D is conducted at U.S. academic institutions, corporations, and Federal R&D laboratories; a variety of funding mechanisms are used. The National Coordination Office for High Performance Computing and Communications coordinates the Program and outreach to interested communities.   The HPCC Program builds upon decades of successful Federal R&D in high performance computing and communications. The U.S. Congress signaled its bipartisan support by passing the High Performance Computing Act of 1991 (Public Law 102-194). Today the Program is focusing on new challenges in Federal R&D in computing and communications technologies through its support of the Committee on Information and Communications R&D of the National Science and Technology Council.   Addressing these challenges is critical to establishing a National Information Infrastructure and a Defense Information Infrastructure, as well as for enabling a Global Information Infrastructure. Steady, sustained, and well-managed Federal R&D in computing and communications, particularly at the high end, is vital to maintaining U.S. leadership in the Age of Information.