A Research and Development Strategy for High Performance Computing.

This report is the result of a systematic review of the status and directions of high performance computing and its relationship to federal research and development. Conducted by the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (FCCSET), the review involved a series of workshops attended by numerous computer scientists and technologists from academia, industry, and government. A consistent theme in the report is the need for these three groups to collaborate and exchange information on future research and development efforts. The report begins with summaries of the findings and recommendations, followed by discussions of: (1) the challenge, i.e., fundamental problems in science or engineering whose solutions would be enabled by the application of high performance computing resources; (2) a high performance computing strategy; (3) current status and trends, including high performance computing systems, software technology and algorithms, computer network technology, and basic research and human resources in computer and computational science; (3) the impact of computing technology on national security, science and engineering, and the economic sector; and (4) the establishment of the FCCSET and its activities. The findings and recommendations of the study are then presented in four areas: High Performance Computers, Software Development Technology and Algorithms, Networking, and Basic Research and Human Resources. Discussions of the implementation strategy and cost estimates for various elements of the strategy conclude the report. These elements include a national research network and joint research in computational science and engineering. (DB)