summary
Introduced
02/11/2015
02/11/2015
In Committee
03/04/2015
03/04/2015
Crossed Over
05/20/2015
05/20/2015
Passed
Dead
01/03/2017
01/03/2017
Introduced Session
114th Congress
Bill Summary
American Super Computing Leadership Act (Sec. 3) Amends the Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004 with respect to: (1) exascale computing (computing system performance at or near 10 to the 18th power floating point operations per second), and (2) a high-end computing system with performance substantially exceeding that of systems commonly available for advanced scientific and engineering applications. Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to: (1) coordinate the development of high-end computing systems across DOE; (2) partner with universities, National Laboratories, and industry to ensure the broadest possible application of the technology developed in the program to other challenges in science, engineering, medicine, and industry; and (3) include among the multiple architectures researched, at DOE discretion, any computer technologies that show promise of substantial reductions in power requirements and substantial gains in parallelism of multicore processors, concurrency, memory and storage, bandwidth, and reliability. Repeals authority for establishment of at least one High-End Software Development Center. Directs the Secretary to conduct a coordinated research program to develop exascale computing systems to advance DOE missions. Requires establishment through competitive merit review of two or more DOE National Laboratory-industry-university partnerships to conduct integrated research, development, and engineering of multiple exascale architectures. Requires the Secretary to conduct mission-related co-design activities in developing such exascale platforms. Defines "co-design" as the joint development of application algorithms, models, and codes with computer technology architectures and operating systems to maximize effective use of high-end computing systems. Directs the Secretary to develop any advancements in hardware and software technology required to realize fully the potential of an exascale production system in addressing DOE target applications and solving scientific problems involving predictive modeling and simulation and large-scale data analytics and management. Requires DOE also to explore the use of exascale computing technologies to advance a broad range of science and engineering. Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress an integrated strategy and program management plan. Requires the Secretary, before initiating construction or installation of an exascale-class computing facility, to transmit to Congress a separate plan detailing: (1) the proposed facility's cost projections and capabilities to significantly accelerate the development of new energy technologies; (2) technical risks and challenges that must be overcome to achieve successful completion and operation of the facility; and (3) an independent assessment of the scientific and technological advances expected from such a facility relative to those expected from a comparable investment in expanded research and applications at terascale-class and petascale-class computing facilities, including an evaluation of where investments should be made in the system software and algorithms to enable these advances.
AI Summary
This bill, the American Super Computing Leadership Act, amends existing law to enhance the Department of Energy's (DOE) high-end computing research and development program, particularly focusing on "exascale" computing, which refers to systems capable of at least 10 to the 18th power floating-point operations per second, a massive leap in computational power. The legislation directs the Secretary of Energy to coordinate the development of these advanced computing systems across the DOE, foster partnerships with universities, National Laboratories (DOE-owned research facilities), and industry to ensure the technology benefits various scientific and industrial fields, and to explore promising new computer technologies that reduce power consumption and improve performance. It also mandates a coordinated research program to develop exascale systems, establishing at least two partnerships between National Laboratories, industry, and universities to conduct integrated research and development of multiple exascale architectures. A key aspect is "co-design," defined as the joint development of software (algorithms, models, codes) and hardware architectures to maximize the effectiveness of these supercomputers for complex tasks like predictive modeling, simulation, and large-scale data analysis relevant to DOE missions and broader scientific challenges. The bill requires the Secretary to submit detailed plans to Congress outlining the strategy, program management, cost projections, technical risks, and expected scientific advancements of any proposed exascale computing facilities, comparing their potential benefits to investments in less powerful, but still significant, terascale and petascale computing systems. While the bill emphasizes the development of exascale computing, it repeals the authority for establishing a dedicated High-End Software Development Center.
Committee Categories
Agriculture and Natural Resources, Business and Industry
Sponsors (10)
Randy Hultgren (R)*,
Suzanne Bonamici (D),
Elizabeth Esty (D),
Chaka Fattah (D),
Adam Kinzinger (R),
Daniel Lipinski (D),
Ben Ray Luján (D),
Scott Peters (D),
Lamar Smith (R),
Eric Swalwell (D),
Last Action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (on 05/20/2015)
Official Document
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