As Japan Takes the Lead in Supercomputing, Lucas Emphasizes the Need to Invest in Next-Generation Technologies. The U.S. still has four of the world's top ten fastest supercomputers.
House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas released a statement today after announcing that the U.S. no longer has the fastest supercomputer in the world. That title, previously held by the Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee, now goes to the Fugaku system in Japan. Fugaku is 2.8 times more potent than Summit.
Lucas said that “Falling behind in supercomputing power has significant consequences for American competitiveness and technological development. We need supercomputing to perform the complex modeling necessary to develop nuclear fusion, advanced building materials, and COVID-19 treatments. Dropping in the world's most powerful supercomputers' rankings is a wake-up call and a reminder that we need to continue to invest in next-generation supercomputers, including exascale systems, if we want to stay competitive scientifically.
The Administration has shown strong leadership in the development of advanced computing initiatives. I'm encouraged by that commitment to America's competitiveness.”
In 2018, Congress passed the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act, a Science Committee bill that authorizes the development of exascale computing systems. Exascale systems can perform one billion, billion calculations per second, and developing one is critical to enabling scientific discovery, strengthening national security, and promoting U.S. industrial competitiveness. The Department of Energy's Exascale Computing Initiative (ECI) will deliver at least one exascale-capable system in 2021 – reasserting U.S. leadership in this critical area.
Source Research and Technology, Energy, Cybersecurity Committee on Science, Space, & Technology Date: Jun 22, 2020