TheWeekInCongress

TheWeekInCongress.com

Week Ending July 9, 2004

HR 4218 amends the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991

BRIEF

Despite the origination of Microsoft in the US and other computer market domination by US firms, the country is not first in the area of High-performance computing. Although the US has super-computers at government agencies and educational institutions, here and there, the dominant computer is in Japan.

Congress’s research reveals that the Japanese computer, the Earth Simulator, was a great investment by the Japanese. The Earth Simulator can wrangle results out of complicated scientific and engineering tasks and data.

The report notes that while the Japanese were developing their supercomputer the US went in the direction of using commercially available components to build its’ high-performance computers. It was a less expensive approach but not as effective.

In 1991 the High-Performance Computing Act gave a shot in the arm to the US supercomputer effort by way of funding research and development and helping companies develop hardware and software. The program also helped universities and government laboratories to buy the high-end computers. Although the program did not result in the best supercomputer in the US it did develop a program that benefits government agencies and universities doing R&D and utilizing their own supercomputers.

The bill, then, continues the 1991 Act.

Sponsor: Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL-13^th)

Vote: Passed House by voice vote (July 7. 2004)

Cost to the taxpayers: $200 million through 2009. $2.7 billion was appropriated in 2004 to fund the high-end computing efforts at six Federal agencies.