Letter to the President on Supercomputing
November 8, 2011
The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We write to you to ask for your continued support and leadership to advance the Department of Energy’s (DOE) exascale computing initiative. America’s leadership in high performance computing (HPC) is essential to a vast range of national priorities in science, energy, environment, health, and national security.
U.S. leadership in HPC is threatened by strategic governmental investments in HPC programs in China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and the European Union. In November 2010 the most powerful U.S. supercomputer was unseated and now ranks only third in the world behind computers from Japan and China. These foreign governments have recognized the crucial role HPC plays in both developing new technologies and increasing efficiencies in existing systems – leadership in HPC means greater economic competitiveness and national security.
For decades the U.S. was the leader in HPC through collaborative efforts led by the DOE between national laboratories, academia, and industry. Investments in HPC have enabled extraordinary scientific and technical advances in support of DOE’s mission priorities and many Federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, rely heavily on supercomputing and advances in HPC.
Now, the race is on to develop exascale computing capabilities – supercomputers 1000 times more powerful than the fastest computers today. This will require the development of new computer architectures with improved power consumption, memory, reliability, and software. As with previous generations of HPC systems, the resulting technological advances will further support Federal priorities like energy research and national security and will be integrated into electronics industries strengthening high-tech competitiveness and driving economic growth.
The U.S. cannot afford to cede leadership in HPC, and the DOE has embarked on a program that again combines the talents of the national laboratories, academia, and industry to develop exascale computing capabilities by the year 2020. Due to the competitive nature of HPC and the progress and governmental support foreign competitors are enjoying, it is critical that the U.S. not delay its exascale computing efforts.
We commend you for the support of exascale computing you have already shown by requesting the initial funding in the FY2012 Budget Request. Given the strong support our global competitors are receiving, it is imperative that the U.S. continue to commit resources to remain competitive in the HPC race to exascale capability.
We encourage you to continue your support of the DOE exascale computing initiative through a request in the FY2013 Budget Request.
Sincerely,
________________________ ________________________
Jeff Bingaman Lamar Alexander
U.S. Senator U.S. Senator
________________________ ________________________
Ron Wyden Richard Durbin
U.S. Senator U.S. Senator
________________________ ________________________
Jon Kyl Charles Schumer
U.S. Senator U.S. Senator
________________________ ________________________
Patty Murray Bob Corker
U.S. Senator U.S. Senator
________________________ ________________________
Barbara Boxer Dianne Feinstein
U.S. Senator U.S. Senator
________________________ ________________________
Scott Brown Kristen Gillibrand
U.S. Senator U.S. Senator
________________________ ________________________
Tom Udall Bernard Sanders
U.S. Senator U.S. Senator
________________________ ________________________
Jeff Merkley Al Franken
U.S. Senator U.S. Senator
________________________ ________________________
John Boozman Amy Klobuchar
U.S. Senator U.S. Senator
________________________ ________________________
Christopher Coons Mark Kirk
U.S. Senator U.S. Senator
________________________ ________________________
Carl Levin Kay Hagan
U.S. Senator U.S. Senator
________________________ ________________________
Herb Kohl Maria Cantwell
U.S. Senator U.S. Senator
Cc: Honorable Jacob J. Lew, Director, Office of Management and Budget
Honorable Steven Chu, Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy
