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High-Performance Computing and Networking for Science September 1989 NTIS order #PB90-131228 Recommended Citation: U.S. Congress, Office of ‘Technology Assessment, High Performance Computing and Networkig for Science-Background Paper, OTA-BP-CIT-59 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, September 1989). Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 89-600758 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325 (Order form can be found in the back of this report.) Foreword Information technology is fundamental to today’s research and development: high performance computers for solving complex problems; high-speed data communication networks for exchanging scientific and engineering information; very large electronic archives for storing scientific and technical data; and new display technologies for visualizing the results of analyses. This background paper explores key issues concerning the Federal role in supporting national high performance computing facilities and in developing a national research and education network. It is the first publication from our assessment, Information Technology and Research, which was requested by the House Committee on Science and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. OTA gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the many experts, within and outside the government, who served as panelists, workshop participants, contractors, reviewers, detailees, and advisers for this document. As with all OTA reports, however, the content is solely the responsibility of OTA and does not necessarily constitute the consensus or endorsement of the advisory panel, workshop participants, or the Technology Assessment Board. - Director . w Performance Computing and Networking for Science Advisory Panel John P. (Pat) Crecine, Chairman President, Georgia Institute of Technology Charles Bender Lawrence Landweber Sharon J. Rogers Director Chairman University Librarian Ohio Supercomputer Center Computer Science Department Gelman Library University of Wisconsin-Madison The George Washington University Charles DeLisi Chairman Carl Ledbetter William Schrader Department of Biomathematical President/CEO President Science ETA Systems NYSERNET Mount Sinai School of Medicine Donald Marsh Kenneth Toy Deborah L. Estrin Vice President, Technology Post-Graduate Research Assistant Professor Contel Corp. Geophysicist Scripps Institution of Oceanography Computer Science Department Michael J, McGill University of Southern California Vice President Keith Uncapher Robert Ewald Technical Assessment & Development Vice President Vice President, Software OCLC, Computer Library Center, Inc. Corporation for the National Research Initiatives Cray Research, Inc. Kenneth W. Neves Kenneth flamm Manager Al Weis Senior Fellow Research & Development Program Vice President The Brookings Institution Boeing Computer Services Engineering & Scientific Computer Data Systems Division Malcolm Getz Bernard O’Lear IBM Corp. Associate Provost Manager of Systems Information Services & Technology National Center for Atmospheric Wnderbilt University Research Ira Goldstein William Poduska Vice president Research Chairman of the Board Open Software Foundation Stellar Computer, Inc. Robert E. Kraut Elaine Rich Manager Director Interpersonal Communications Group Artificial Intelligence Lab Bell Communications Research Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corp. NOTE: OTA is grateful for the valuable assistance and thoughtful critiques provided by the advisory panel. The views expressed in this OTA background paper, however, are the sole responsibility of the Office of Technology Assessment. iv —. .--.—— -— OTA Project Staff-High Performance Computing John Andelin, Assistant Director, OTA Science, Information, and Natural Resources Division James W. Curhin, Program Manager Communication and Information Technologies Program Fred W. Weingarten, Project Director Charles N. Brownstein, Senior Analyst1 Lisa Heinz, Analyst Elizabeth I. Miller, Research Assistant Administrative Staff Elizabeth Emanuel, Administrative Assistant Karolyn Swauger, Secretary Jo Anne Price, Secretary Other Contributors Bill Bartelone Mervin Jones Timothy Lynagh Legislative/Federal Program Program Analyst Supervisory Data and Manager Defense Automation Resources Program Analyst Cray Research, Inc. Information Center Government Services Administration List of Reviewers Janice Abraham Eloise E. Clark Judson M. Harper Executive Director Vice President, Academic Vice President of Research Cornell Theory Center Affairs Colorado State University Cornell University Bowling Green University Gene Hemp Lee R. Alley Paul Coleman Senior Associate V.P. for Assistant Vice President for Professor Academic Affairs Information Resources Management Institute of Geophysics and University of Florida Arizona State University Space Physics University of California Nobuaki Ieda James Almond Senior Vice President Director Michael R. Dingerson NTT America, Inc. Center for High Performance Associate Vice Chancellor for Computing Research and Dean of the Hiroshi Inose Balcones Research Center Graduate School Director General University of Mississippi National Center for Science Julius Archibald Information System Department Chairman Christopher Eoyang Department of Computer Science Director Heidi James State University of New York Institute for Supercomputing Executive Secretary College of Plattsburgh Research United States Activities Board J. Gary Augustson David Farber IEEE Executive Director Professor Computer and Information Computer & Information Russell C. Jones Systems Science Department University Research Professor Pennsylvania State University University of Pennsylvania University of Delaware Philip Austin Sidney Fernbach Brian Kahin, Esq. President Independent Consultant Research Affiliate on Colorado State University Communications Policy Susan Fratkin Massachusetts Institute of Technology Steven C. Beering Director, Special Programs President NASULGC Robert Kahn Purdue University President Doug Gale Corporation of National Jerry Berkman Director of Computer Research Initiatives Fortran Specialist Research Center Central Computing Services Office of the Chancellor Hisao Kanai University of California at Berkeley University of Nebraska-Lincoln Executive Vice President NEC Corporation Kathleen Bernard Robert Gillespie Director for Science Policy President Hiroshi Kashiwagi and Technology Programs Gillespie, Folkner Deputy Director-General Cray Research, Inc. & Associates, Inc. Electrotechnical Laboratory Justin L. Bloom Eiichi Goto Lauren Kelly President Director, Computer Center Department of Commerce Technology International, Inc. University of Tokyo Thomas Keyes Charles N. Brownstein C.K. Gunsalus Professor of Chemistry Executive Officer Assistant Vice Chancellor Boston University Computing & Information Science & for Research Engineering University of Illinois National Science Foundation at Urbana-Champaign Continued on next page VI List Of Reviewers (continued) Doyle Knight Shoichi Ninomoiya Steven Sample President Executive Director President John von Neumann National Fujitsu Limited SUNY, Buffalo Supercomputer Center Bernard O’Lear John Sell Consortium for Scientific Manager of Systems President Computing National Center for Atmospheric Minnesota Supercomputer Center Research Mike Levine Hiroshi Shima Co-director of the Pittsburgh Ronald Orcutt Deputy Director-General for Supercomputing Center Executive Director Technology Affairs Carnegie Mellon University Project Athena Agency of Industrial Science and George E. Lindamood MIT Technology , MITI Program Director Tad Pinkerton Yoshio Shimamoto Industry Service Director Senior Scientist (Retired) Gartner Group, Inc. Office of Information Applied Mathematics Department M. Stuart Lynn Technology Brookhaven National Laboratory Vice President for University of Wisconsin-Madison Charles Sorber Information Technologies Harold J. Raveche Dean, School of Engineering Cornell University President University of Pittsburgh Ikuo Makino Stevens Institute of Technology Harvey Stone Director Ann Redelf Special Assistant to the Electrical Machinery & Consumer Manager of Information President Electronics Division Services University of Delaware Minisry of International Cornell Theory Center Trade and Industry Dan Sulzbach Cornell University Manager, User Services Richard Mandelbaum Glenn Ricart San Diego Supercomputer Center Vice Provost for Computing Director University of Rochester Tatsuo Tanaka Computer Science Center Executive Director Martin Massengale University of Maryland in Interoperability Technology Chancellor College Park Association for Information Processing, University of N’ebraska-Lincoln Ira Richer Japan Gerald W. May Program Manager Ray Toland President DARPA/ISTO president University of New Mexico John Riganati Alabama Supercomputing Network Yoshiro Miki Director of Systems Research Authority Director, Policy Research Division Supercomputer Research Center Kenneth Tolo Science and Technology Policy Bureau Institute for Defense Analyses Vice Provost Science and Technology Agency Mike Roberts University of Texas Takeo Miura Vice President at Austin EDUCOM Senior Executive Managing Director Kenneth Toy Hitachi. Ltd. David Roselle Post-Graduate Research J. Gerald Morgan President Geophysicist Dean of Engineering University of Kentucky Scripps Institution of Oceanography New Mexico State University Nora Sabelli V. Rama Murthy National Center for Supercomputing
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