President Barack Obama has ordered federal agencies to collaborate with companies and academic organizations to research, develop and implement high-performance computing technology.The White House said Wednesday the order establishes a government-wide initiative aimed at accelerating discovery and adoption of computers that would process data about 100 times faster than existing 10-petaflop systems.
The National Strategic Computing Initiative calls on agencies to formulate a holistic strategy that encompasses “networking technology, workflow, downward scaling, foundational algorithm and software, accessibility and workforce development.”
President Obama instructed the National Science Foundation as well as the departments of Energy and Defense to introduce a joint program to build exascale computing platforms for simulation use.
He also directed the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity and National Institute of Standards and Technology to explore potential alternatives to standard semiconductor computing tools.
The Executive Council will coordinate HPC R&D efforts through the initiative while NASA, the FBI, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Homeland Security and National Institutes of Health will participate in deployment activities, the order states.
