[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 77 (Tuesday, May 19, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H3361-H3363]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AMERICAN SUPER COMPUTING LEADERSHIP ACT
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 874) to amend the Department of Energy High-End
Computing Revitalization Act of 2004 to improve the high-end computing
research and development program of the Department of Energy, and for
other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 874
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 ``American Super Computing
Leadership Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
Section 2 of the Department of Energy High-End Computing
Revitalization Act of 2004 (15 U.S.C. 5541) is amended by
striking paragraphs (1) through (5) and inserting the
following:
``(1) Co-design.--The term `co-design' means 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.
``(2) Department.--The term `Department' means the
Department of Energy.
``(3) Exascale.--The term `exascale' means computing system
performance at or near 10 to the 18th power floating point
operations per second.
``(4) 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.
``(5) Institution of higher education.--The term
`institution of higher education' has the meaning given the
term in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C.
15801).
``(6) 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.
``(7) National laboratory.--The term `National Laboratory'
means any one of the seventeen laboratories owned by the
Department.
``(8) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary
of Energy.
``(9) Software technology.--The term `software technology'
includes optimal algorithms, programming environments, tools,
languages, and operating systems for high-end computing
systems.''.
SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY HIGH-END COMPUTING RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
Section 3 of the Department of Energy High-End Computing
Revitalization Act of 2004 (15 U.S.C. 5542) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``program'' and inserting
``coordinated program across the Department'';
(B) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (1);
(C) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (2) and
inserting ``; and''; and
(D) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(3) partner with universities, National Laboratories, and
industry to ensure the broadest possible application of the
technology developed in this program to other challenges in
science, engineering, medicine, and industry.'';
(2) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ``vector'' and all
that follows through ``architectures'' and inserting
``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''; and
(3) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the following:
``(d) Exascale Computing Program.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall conduct a
coordinated research program to develop exascale computing
systems to advance the missions of the Department.
``(2) Execution.--The Secretary shall, through competitive
merit review, establish two or more National Laboratory-
industry-university partnerships to conduct integrated
research, development, and engineering of multiple exascale
architectures, and--
``(A) conduct mission-related co-design activities in
developing such exascale platforms;
``(B) develop those advancements in hardware and software
technology required to fully realize the potential of an
exascale production system in addressing Department target
applications and solving scientific problems involving
predictive modeling and simulation and large-scale data
analytics and management; and
``(C) explore the use of exascale computing technologies to
advance a broad range of science and engineering.
``(3) Administration.--In carrying out this program, the
Secretary shall--
``(A) provide, on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis,
access for researchers in United States industry,
institutions of higher education, National Laboratories, and
other Federal agencies to these exascale systems, as
appropriate; and
``(B) conduct outreach programs to increase the readiness
for the use of such platforms by domestic industries,
including manufacturers.
``(4) Reports.--
``(A) Integrated strategy and program management plan.--The
Secretary shall submit to Congress, not later than 90 days
after the date of enactment of the American Super Computing
Leadership Act, a report outlining an integrated strategy and
program management plan, including target dates for
prototypical and production exascale platforms, interim
milestones to reaching these targets, functional
requirements, roles and responsibilities of National
Laboratories and industry, acquisition strategy, and
estimated resources required, to achieve this exascale system
capability. The report shall include the Secretary's plan for
Departmental organization to manage and execute the Exascale
Computing Program, including definition of the roles and
responsibilities within the Department to ensure an
integrated program across the Department. The report shall
also include a plan for ensuring balance and prioritizing
across ASCR subprograms in a flat or slow-growth budget
environment.
``(B) Status reports.--At the time of the budget submission
of the Department for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall
submit a report to Congress that describes the status of
milestones and costs in achieving the objectives of the
exascale computing program.
[[Page H3362]]
``(C) Exascale merit report.--At least 18 months prior to
the initiation of construction or installation of any
exascale-class computing facility, the Secretary shall
transmit a plan to the Congress detailing--
``(i) the proposed facility's cost projections and
capabilities to significantly accelerate the development of
new energy technologies;
``(ii) technical risks and challenges that must be overcome
to achieve successful completion and operation of the
facility; and
``(iii) 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.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Lucas). Pursuant to the rule, the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Lipinski) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and to include extraneous material on H.R. 874, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 874, the American Super Computing Leadership Act,
requires the Department of Energy to develop a plan to bring the United
States into the next generation of supercomputing, also known as
exascale computing. I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Hultgren) for taking the initiative on this issue.
DOE's Advanced Scientific Computing Research program is the primary
Federal research and development program for innovation in computing
technology. High-performance computing has paved the way for
breakthroughs in medical imaging, genetics research, manufacturing,
engineering, and weapons development.
Faster computing speeds have revolutionized the energy sector,
improved the efficiency of energy production, and aided in distribution
technologies. Advances in computer modeling offer opportunities for
scientific discovery in fields where experiments are too difficult,
costly, or dangerous to conduct. These advances reduce costs and open
the door to more innovative discoveries.
The country with the strongest computing capability will host the
world's next scientific breakthroughs. Unfortunately, China currently
holds the world's fastest computer, not the United States. This bill
should reverse this trend and help advance American competitiveness.
Again, I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hultgren), as
well as the gentleman from California (Mr. Swalwell), the gentleman
from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski), the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms.
Esty), and the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici) for their
initiative on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to cosponsor H.R. 874, the American Super
Computing Leadership Act. This is bipartisan legislation that I have
had the pleasure of working on with my colleague, Mr. Hultgren, as well
as others from both sides of the aisle in developing, including, as the
chairman said, Mr. Swalwell, Ms. Bonamici, and Ms. Esty. This bill
would authorize an exascale computing program to ensure that the
fastest computers in the world, as well as their software and
algorithms, which will help us use these machines to the maximum
efficiency, are developed here in the United States.
The term ``exascale'' is often used to refer to the next generation
of supercomputers in general and is used interchangeably with ``extreme
scale.'' This term is often applied to computing systems that are
capable of carrying out a million trillion operations per second. That
rate is approximately 50 times faster than the current fastest computer
in the world.
Through this legislation, the Secretary of Energy would be empowered
to significantly increase the computing power that is accessible to
scientists from Federal agencies as well as industry and academia.
These investments would have a wide range of impacts by giving the
Nation's best scientists the resources and support they need to
flourish.
Mr. Speaker, there are numerous fields of research in both the
academic and industrial areas that would be greatly aided by this
increased computing power. Fields such as pharmaceutical development,
aerodynamic modeling for aircraft and vehicle design, advanced nuclear
reactor design and fusion plasma modeling, combustion simulation to
assist in the design of fuel-efficient clean engines, and high
temperature superconductivity to significantly reduce energy losses
while transmitting electricity.
As a result of this legislation, the Department of Energy would be
required to submit regular reports as well as a management plan to
Congress describing how DOE intends to institute this program and its
current projects. Lemont, Illinois' Argonne National Laboratory is a
world leader in developing this new capability, so I am happy that just
last month the Department of Energy announced a major award to support
and significantly upgrade Argonne's advanced computing research and
facilities. This bill will ensure that these investments are part of a
transparent, long-term, coordinated strategy to keep the United States
on top in this field. I also anticipate that the benefits that we will
see from this legislation may well surpass the impacts that we can even
imagine today.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 874,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume
to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hultgren), who is a sponsor of this
legislation.
Mr. HULTGREN. Mr. Speaker, I also would like to thank my good friend
and distinguished chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology
Committee, Chairman Smith from Texas, as well as my good friend,
Congressman Lipinski from Illinois, as well as my other good friend,
the gentleman from California (Mr. Swalwell) all for helping to bring
this legislation to the floor.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 874 will help ensure that America stays at the
forefront of supercomputing technology by getting to the exascale level
of computing--close to the speed of the human brain. These capabilities
are vital for our national security, the economy, and, more broadly,
the research capabilities of our Nation.
While America and American companies are still leading the way for
much of this current technology, it is important to point out that the
National University of Defense Technology in China now houses the
world's fastest computer.
One of the Department of Energy's primary responsibilities within the
National Nuclear Security Administration is the maintenance of our
current nuclear stockpile. This stockpile stewardship responsibility is
carried out with increasingly complex simulations as our stockpile
ages. The need for improved parallelism capabilities and decreased
energy requirements are spelled out in this legislation to ensure the
Department carries out a targeted basic research program to overcome
the most pressing needs.
I would like to point out, however, that I believe, in agreement with
the Secretary, that exascale is not the end point. It is just a step
towards the greater goal of American leadership in this field.
This legislation will ensure that the broader scientific community
has access to these facilities on a competitive merit review basis. The
scientific drivers and the national security responsibilities should be
the primary focus for computing research, but we must also make sure
that the crosscutting benefits of this research are not left at the
wayside.
H.R. 874 would create partnerships with universities, industry, and
the national labs to conduct this research, ensuring that the Nation,
as a whole, benefits from this research more quickly and efficiently.
With all parties at the table, businesses will be better able
[[Page H3363]]
to utilize the new technologies and algorithms that will result.
Having the pleasure to represent the great State of Illinois, I have
been able to witness how an ecosystem of innovation can best be
fostered. For our Nation to reap the greatest yields from our research,
our research facilities must be open to the public when it makes sense
and does not interfere with the core missions of our Federal agencies
and the labs.
The user facilities in our national labs already serve over 30,000
researchers every year, with university researchers taking precedence
over others. And other user facilities, such as the Advanced Photon
Source at Argonne, Illinois, have given a tremendous research
capability to industry partners, such as pharmaceutical companies,
where research that once took weeks is now done in hours, with samples
spending more time in overnight mail.
Mr. Speaker, the computing capabilities this legislation will help
bring about will similarly have tremendous application in health care
and drug development. We are just now getting to the point where
computer simulations are giving us higher resolution images at the
molecular level than we can get with microscopes when trying to
understand how diseases, our bodies, and new treatments interact. And
the modeling simulations these systems make available also allow
manufacturers to build better prototypes that have already been tested
thousands of times virtually before they come off the line.
But perhaps most importantly, these capabilities will keep America
competitive on the global scale. And the graduate students and postdocs
that learn on these machines will take what they know wherever they
decide to go, whether it be business or the Department of Defense.
{time} 1745
He said the best form of technology transfer wears shoes. That is why
I thank my colleagues for helping me bring this similar legislation to
the floor again this Congress, and I recommend all my colleagues
support this bill.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire, does the gentleman from
Texas have any more speakers on this bill?
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers on this
side, so I am prepared to yield back the balance of my time after the
gentleman from Illinois.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume
to close here.
I want to thank Mr. Hultgren again. He represents Fermilab. I
represent part of Argonne National Laboratory. It is good to work with
him on this legislation and others to advance science in the United
States. Even though there are few people who really understand what
this means, we will all see the results of it.
I thank the chairman for moving this bill forward. I urge my
colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the remainder of my
time as well.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 874.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________