The Federal High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) Program will celebrate its fifth anniversary in October 1996 with an impressive array of accomplishments to its credit. Throughout its existence, the HPCC Program has conducted long-term research and development in advanced computing, communications, and information technologies, and in applying those technologies to the missions of the participating Federal departments and agencies. The use of advanced information technologies across the Federal government and throughout the economy demonstrates the significant impact of the HPCC Program. The HPCC Program continues to receive bipartisan Congressional support, as it has since the passage of the High Performance Computing Act of 1991 (Public Law 102-194).
Under the leadership of the National Science and Technology Council's (NSTC) Committee on Computing, Information, and Communications (CCIC), the HPCC Program is evolving. For the past two years, Federal agencies, academia, and industry have undertaken an intensive planning process to develop an R&D agenda that builds on the firm foundation of HPCC Program accomplishments and extends the goals of the original Program. The new Computing, Information, and Communications (CIC) R&D programs will focus on long-term interagency efforts that address R&D needs critical to the goals of providing more secure and higher quality lives in 21st century America.
Over its five-year history, the HPCC Program has focused on developing high performance computing and communications technologies that can be applied to computation-intensive applications - the Grand Challenges of science and engineering. In FY 1994, the Administration added the goal of developing key enabling technologies for the National Information Infrastructure to demonstrate information-intensive applications - the National Challenges. Major highlights for FY 1996:
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High performance computing systems enable practical solutions to complex problems with accuracies not possible five years ago. Weather models use these systems' increased computational power and expanded memory to employ significantly more detailed physics algorithms. These models allow meteorologists to track severe storms and hurricanes with sufficient accuracy to produce forecasts dependable enough to implement the more precise evacuation plans required to save lives and property. |
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HPCC-funded research in very large scale networking techniques has been instrumental in the evolution of the Internet, which continues exponential growth in size, speed, and availability of information. Today's R&D in large scale wireline, optical, wireless, and mobile network technology is required to satisfy the explosive demand for new generations of information technology. |
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The combination of hardware capability measured in gigaflop/s (billions of floating-point operations per second), networking technology measured in gigabit/s (billions of bits per second), and new computational science techniques for modeling phenomena has demonstrated that very large scale accurate scientific calculations can be executed across heterogeneous parallel processing systems located thousands of miles apart. The integration of these technologies is enabling new modes of science and engineering collaborations that provide valuable new knowledge benefiting Federal agency missions. |
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Federal investments in HPCC software R&D support researchers who pioneered the development of parallel languages and compilers, high performance mathematical, engineering, and scientific libraries, and software tools - technologies that allow scientists to use powerful parallel systems to focus on Federal agency mission applications. |
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HPCC support for virtual environments has enabled the development of immersive technologies, where researchers can explore and manipulate multi-dimensional scientific and engineering problems. |
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Educational programs fostered by the HPCC Program have brought into classrooms new science and engineering curricula designed to teach computational science. The Program has been responsible for training scientists to develop and exploit new HPCC technologies in their quest to discover new knowledge for the benefit of all. |
This document contains a small sample of the significant HPCC Program accomplishments in FY 1996. A more comprehensive view is accessible from the HPCC Program's Web site at http://www.hpcc.gov.
The HPCC Program has provided a national focus for Federally funded R&D in high performance computing, communications, and information technologies. It is critically important that HPCC R&D continue. However, as a result of the successes of the Program and the changing role of information technology in Federal agency mission applications, broader collaborative R&D investments in computing, information, and communications are needed.
The NSTC's Committee on Computing, Information, and Communications (CCIC) has organized its collaborative program efforts into five Program Component Areas (PCAs). HPCC Program activities form the core of the new Computing, Information, and Communications (CIC) R&D programs. The PCA structure evolved from the five original components of the HPCC Program (HPCS, NREN, ASTA, IITA, and BRHR, described in the Glossary). The PCAs represent areas of high priority investments by the Federal agencies that participate in the coordinated R&D programs. The PCAs and their goals are:
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High End Computing and Computation (HECC): The goal of HECC R&D is to assure U.S. leadership in computing through investments in leading-edge hardware and software innovations, and in algorithms and software for modeling and simulation needed to address Grand Challenge-class applications. |
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Large Scale Networking (LSN): The goal of LSN R&D is to assure U.S. leadership in communications in high performance network components; technologies that enable wireless, optical, mobile, and wireline communications; large scale network engineering, management, and services; and systems software and program development environments for network-centric computing. |
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High Confidence Systems (HCS): The goal of HCS R&D is to develop technologies that provide users with high levels of security, protection of privacy and data, reliability, and restorability of information services. |
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Human centered Systems (HuCS): The goal of HuCS R&D is to make computing and networking more useful through collaboratories, technologies that provide knowledge from distributed repositories, multi-modal interactive systems, and virtual reality environments. |
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Education, Training, and Human Resources, (ETHR): The goal of ETHR R&D is to support research that enables modern education and training technologies, including technologies that support lifelong and distance learning, and curriculum development. |
In addition, the CCIC has established an Applications Council to promote multi-agency leadership in the early application of advanced computing, information, and communications technologies, with special focus on projects that are widely applicable to Federal agency missions. Also during this year, the Federal Networking Council, which acts as a forum for networking collaborations among Federal agencies to meet their research, education, and operational mission goals, is operating under the purview of the CCIC.
The estimated FY1996 HPCC Program budget for the participating Federal agencies was $1,043 million. For FY 1997 the President requested $1,038 million.
The world has entered the Information Age and the U.S. is leading the way. Federal R&D in advanced computing, communications, and information technology is directly responsible for this leadership. In order to remain effective leaders, U.S. academia, industry, and government must be able to exploit the most advanced technologies in the most affordable way. Computing, Information, and Communications R&D programs will be key driving forces for advancing these technologies and their application to a more secure, better-quality life in 21st century America.
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