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Information Technology Frontiers for a New Millenium
IT2: A Bold Investment in America's Future |
 
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Introduction
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With the Information Technology for the Twenty-first Century (IT2) initiative, the Federal Government is planning a recommitment to fundamental research in information technology. Building on the Government's previous accomplishments and current investments in the High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) Program, including the Next Generation Internet (NGI) Initiative, the proposed IT2 initiative responds directly to the findings and recommendations of the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC). |
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PITAC recommendations
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In its February, 1999, report to the President, the PITAC -- which includes leaders from academia and industry -- concluded that the Government is underinvesting in the kind of long term information technology research that is critical to the Nation's future. The PITAC recommended that the Government undertake a bold strategic initiative supporting long term research in fundamental computing, information, and communications areas. The Committee also recommended increased Federal investments in powerful high end computing systems to support advanced research. Finally, the PITAC recommended conducting research to identify, understand, anticipate, and address the socioeconomic effects that the rapid development of information technology will have on U.S. citizens in the coming millennium. |
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Information Technology (IT) is critical to the Nation's future
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Leading-edge information technology (IT), due to its enormous and profound socioeconomic benefits, has, seemingly in a few short years, become critical to our Nation's continued well-being and prosperity. IT is also changing the way we live, work, learn, and communicate with each other. For example, advances in IT can improve the way we educate our children, allow people with disabilities to lead more independent lives, and improve the quality of healthcare for rural Americans through technologies such as telemedicine. IT advances in supercomputers, simulations, and networks are creating a new window into the natural world, making high end computational experimentation a vital tool for pathbreaking scientific discoveries. U.S. leadership in information technology is also essential for our national security. Our military strategy now relies on information superiority to gain crucial advantages over our adversaries and to keep our troops out of harm's way. |
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Benefits of past Government investments
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The technologies resulting from past Federally sponsored research (for example, the Internet, the first graphical Web browser, and advanced microprocessors) have helped strengthen American leadership in the IT industry. IT now accounts for one third of U.S. economic growth and employs 7.4 million Americans at wages that are more than 60 percent higher than the private-sector average. All sectors of the U.S. economy are using information technology to compete and win in global markets, and business-to-business electronic commerce in the U.S. alone is projected to grow to $1.3 trillion by 2003. The Nation needs significant new investments in IT research to help ensure future economic growth and to address important and persistent national needs such as defense, education, the environment, healthcare, and transportation. |
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IT2 investments
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The IT2 initiative will support:
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Proposed FY 2000 IT2 budget and participating agencies |
The proposed fiscal year (FY) 2000 budget for IT2 is $366 million. The proposed participating agencies are:
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