[THEGrid] 07986 LAWMAKERS CALL FOR INCREASED HPC FUNDING (fwd)

[Pinsky, Lawrence S.]

FYI



>         Note the explicit language for money to Ohio State Supercomputer
>         Center .... (and most likely their state fiber network that also
>         falls under OSC)
>
>>
>>LAWMAKERS CALL FOR INCREASED HPC FUNDING
>>07.09.04
>>FEATURES
>>HPCwire
>>=======================================================================
>>=======
>>
>>The House Appropriations Committee has expressed its disappointment
>>with the
>>High-End Computing Revitalization Task Force's failure to acquire
>>increased
>>funds for scientific computing in 2005. House lawmakers are clamoring
>>to
>>increase U.S. scientific endeavors in order keep up with worldwide
>>competition.
>>
>>The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, which heads
>>the task
>>force, recently released a report outlining its U.S. supercomputing
>>recommendations.
>>
>>Because lawmakers have been concerned with the United States' slipping
>>position in supercomputing activities, H.R. 4614 was passed 370-16,
>>calling
>>for $234 million in funding. Japan currently boasts the world's fastest
>>computer, the Earth Simulator, which was introduced in March 2002.
>>
>>The panel encouraged the department to allow national laboratories,
>>government
>>agencies and universities to use new supercomputers on a competitive
>>basis.
>>
>>Similarly, other bills like H.R. 4218 and H.R. 4516 would require the
>>National
>>Science Foundation and Energy Department to grant U.S. researchers
>>access to
>>high-end computers, and would mandate that the department build
>>supercomputing
>>facilities for academic and government researchers.
>>
>>However, the committee did reduce funding for supercomputing efforts
>>to manage
>>nuclear weapons stockpiles. Seeking $75 million less than Bush sought,
>>the
>>panel proposed that $666 million would suffice for advanced simulation
>>and
>>computing at the National Nuclear Security Administration. Because the
>>scope,
>>cost and schedule of the program was not thoroughly discussed, the
>>panel asked
>>for reduced funding.
>>
>>The panel said the agency should use $10 million for power and
>>fiber-optic
>>upgrades and for developing a technology training center, as well as
>>for
>>hardware and software upgrades for the Ohio Supercomputer Center in
>>Springfield, Ohio. The agency also should use $2.5 million to complete
>>the
>>Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's 3-D "chip-scale packaging"
>>activities.
>>
>>Though the program has been in place for nearly 10 years, lawmakers
>>have been
>>disillusioned by its lack of progress. The government started the
>>initiative
>>to ensure the safety and adequacy of the nuclear-weapons stockpile by
>>conducting computer simulations of nuclear explosions rather than live
>>testing.
>>
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>
>**************************************
>Professor Lawrence S. Pinsky, Esq.
>Chairperson
>Physics Department
>University of Houston
>Houston, Texas 77204-5005
>
>Attorney at Law
>
>Tel.    +1 713 743 3552
>Fax     +1 713 743 3589
>Email: pinsky at uh.edu
>**************************************