[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 92 (Wednesday, July 7, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H5208-H5209]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H5208]]
   DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY HIGH-END COMPUTING REVITALIZATION ACT OF 2004

  Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4516) to require the Secretary of Energy to carry out a 
program of research and development to advance high-end computing, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4516

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Department of Energy High-
     End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       For purposes of this Act:
       (1) High-end computing system.--The term ``high-end 
     computing system'' means a computing system with performance 
     that substantially exceeds that of systems that are commonly 
     available for advanced scientific and engineering 
     applications.
       (2) Leadership system.--The term ``Leadership System'' 
     means a high-end computing system that is among the most 
     advanced in the world in terms of performance in solving 
     scientific and engineering problems.
       (3) Institution of higher education.--The term 
     ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
     term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
     (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
       (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Energy.

     SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY HIGH-END COMPUTING RESEARCH AND 
                   DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out a program of 
     research and development (involving software and hardware) to 
     advance high-end computing systems, and shall develop and 
     deploy such systems for advanced scientific and engineering 
     applications.
       (b) Program.--The program shall--
       (1) support both individual investigators and 
     multidisciplinary teams of investigators;
       (2) conduct research in multiple architectures, which may 
     include vector, reconfigurable logic, streaming, processor-
     in-memory, and multithreading architectures;
       (3) conduct research on software for high-end computing 
     systems, including research on algorithms, programming 
     environments, tools, languages, and operating systems for 
     high-end computing systems, in collaboration with 
     architecture development efforts;
       (4) provide for sustained access by the research community 
     in the United States to high-end computing systems and to 
     Leadership Systems, including provision for technical support 
     for users of such systems;
       (5) support technology transfer to the private sector and 
     others in accordance with applicable law; and
       (6) ensure that the high-end computing activities of the 
     Department of Energy are coordinated with relevant activities 
     in industry and with other Federal agencies, including the 
     National Science Foundation, the Defense Advanced Research 
     Projects Agency, the National Security Agency, the National 
     Institutes of Health, the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration, the National Institute of Standards and 
     Technology, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
       (c) Leadership Systems Facilities.--
       (1) In general.--As part of the program carried out under 
     this Act, the Secretary shall establish and operate 
     Leadership Systems facilities to--
       (A) conduct advanced scientific and engineering research 
     and development using Leadership Systems; and
       (B) develop potential advancements in high-end computing 
     system hardware and software.
       (2) Administration.--In carrying out this subsection, the 
     Secretary shall provide access to Leadership Systems on a 
     competitive, merit-reviewed basis to researchers in United 
     States industry, institutions of higher education, national 
     laboratories, and other Federal agencies.

     SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       In addition to amounts otherwise made available for high-
     end computing, there are authorized to be appropriated to the 
     Secretary to carry out this Act--
       (1) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;
       (2) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; and
       (3) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2007.

     SEC. 5. SOCIETAL IMPLICATIONS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.

       In carrying out its programs on the social, economic, 
     legal, ethical, and cultural implications of information 
     technology, the National Science Foundation shall support 
     research into the implications of computers (including both 
     hardware and software) that would be capable of mimicking 
     human abilities to learn, reason, and make decisions.

     SEC. 6. ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

       (a) Amendments.--Section 23 of the National Science 
     Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n-9) is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking ``and the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration'' each place it appears in subsections (a) and 
     (b) and inserting ``, the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration, and the Department of Energy'';
       (2) in subsection (b)(3), by inserting ``the Secretary of 
     Energy,'' after ``the Administrator of the National 
     Aeronautics and Space Administration,'';
       (3) in subsection (c)--
       (A) by striking ``5'' in each of paragraphs (1) and (2) and 
     inserting ``4'';
       (B) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (2);
       (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4), and in 
     that paragraph by striking ``3'' and inserting ``2''; and
       (D) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new 
     paragraph:
       ``(3) 3 members selected by the Secretary of Energy; and''; 
     and
       (4) in subsection (f), by striking ``the advisory bodies of 
     other Federal agencies, such as the Department of Energy, 
     which may engage in related research activities'' and 
     inserting ``other Federal advisory committees that advise 
     Federal agencies which engage in related research 
     activities''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) 
     shall take effect on March 15, 2005.

     SEC. 7. REMOVAL OF SUNSET PROVISION FROM SAVINGS IN 
                   CONSTRUCTION ACT OF 1996.

       Section 14(e) of the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 (15 
     U.S.C. 205l(e)) is repealed.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Davis) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).


                             General Leave

  Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and to include extraneous material on H.R. 4516, as amended, the bill 
now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, in light of the bill just considered by this body, I am 
sure many of our colleagues are wondering why we are considering 
another high-performance computing bill and what the difference is 
between this bill and the one just approved. In a nutshell, the bill we 
are considering right now, H.R. 4516, the Department of Energy High-End 
Computing Revitalization Act of 2004, authorizes specific research and 
development activities that the Department of Energy will need to 
undertake to meet the mandates laid out in H.R. 4218, the bill just 
considered by the House.
  H.R. 4516 strengthens the interagency planning process for high-
performance computing R&D. It also makes clear that the Department of 
Energy, through its Office of Science and the National Science 
Foundation, are the two lead agencies within the Federal Government 
responsible for providing U.S. researchers with access to the most 
advanced computing facilities in the world.

                              {time}  1100

  The bill under consideration now complements H.R. 4218 by spelling 
out in detail the R&D that the Department of Energy should be doing to 
help ensure that America remains a leader in the development and use of 
super computers.
  More specifically, H.R. 4516 does three things. First, it requires 
the Secretary of Energy to establish and operate high-end computing 
facilities involving leadership-class machines that are among the most 
elite in the world.
  Second, the bill directs the Secretary to conduct advanced scientific 
and engineering R&D using these leadership-class systems and to 
continue to advance the capabilities of high-end computing hardware and 
software.
  Finally, the bill requires that these computing facilities be made 
available on a competitive, peer-reviewed basis to researchers from 
U.S. industry, institutions of higher education, national laboratories, 
and other Federal agencies.
  Mr. Speaker, last fall the Department of Energy's Office of Science 
released its 20-year facility plan, a prioritized list of the most 
important facilities needed to advance multiple fields of scientific 
endeavor over the next 2 decades. The second-highest priority 
identified on the Department's list was ultra-scale computing. Ultra-
scale or high-end computing ranks high on the Department of Energy's 
priority list, because these computers are essential tools for 
achieving the next

[[Page H5209]]

generation of scientific breakthroughs in a variety of fields central 
to the Department of Energy's mission.
  In many cases, dramatic breakthroughs will require increasing 
computing power by a factor of a hundred or in some cases by a factor 
of a thousand. While attaining these increases may seem daunting, the 
history of computer development has taught us that, with a sustained 
commitment to research, such gains are within our reach. That is why 
Secretary Abraham recently announced the selection of a team including 
Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, IBM, Cray 
and other partners to develop and build a new high-end computing 
facility.
  When completed, this new user facility will outpace the world's 
current number one computer, Japan's Earth Stimulator. H.R. 4516 
supports this new initiative of the Department of Energy and ensures 
that the Department can fulfill its responsibility to help lead the 
Federal Government's supercomputing R&D efforts.
  Mr. Speaker, by renewing our commitment to high-end computing 
research and development at the Department of Energy, the United States 
can regain its competitive edge in the development and use of 
supercomputers and recapture the distinction of being home to the 
world's most powerful computer. Again, our Nation's scientific 
enterprise and our economy will be the stronger for it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) and I are 
pleased to bring H.R. 4516, the Department of Energy High-End Computing 
Revitalization Act of 2004, for consideration in the House today.
  H.R. 4516 authorizes the Department of Energy to advance high-end 
computing, and the House Committee on Science has held several hearings 
that have emphasized its importance to achieve progress in many fields 
of science and engineering.
  The gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) and I also introduced 
H.R. 4218 that we just considered to strengthen existing interagency 
planning and budgeting mechanisms for high-end computing.
  In response to the needs for greater resource and focus, we have 
introduced this bill, H.R. 4516. This legislation focuses on activities 
at the Department of Energy, which has been a major player in the 
development of supercomputing since its earliest days.
  Tennessee's Oak Ridge National Lab will lead a partnership supported 
by DOE to build the world's most powerful supercomputer by 2007. I am 
thrilled that the Center for Computational Science at Oak Ridge will 
soon be the new home of the word's largest and fastest computer.
  H.R. 4516 authorizes research and development activities needed to 
develop future supercomputing systems and, equally important, provides 
for the sustained development and deployment of the most capable 
computing system for use by U.S. researchers for academia, industry, 
and Federal labs.
  These computing systems will truly be national resources that will 
address important problems related to national security, economic 
competitiveness, health care, and environmental protection.
  H.R. 4516 responds to an identified national need for Federal support 
of supercomputing. I commend this bill to my colleagues and ask for 
their support.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) 
and the Committee on Science for their work on developing and bringing 
this bill to the floor for the consideration of the members of the 
subcommittees of the House of Representatives.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to thank my colleague, the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Davis), once more for his work as a lead 
sponsor of this legislation, and I would also like to thank the 
minority and the majority staff of the Committee on Science for their 
time and effort and ideas. With the passage of this legislation, the 
Department of Energy will continue to revolutionize the use of 
supercomputers, ensuring the competitiveness of American science and 
industry. I would urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Murphy). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4516, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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