[House Report 110-40]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



110th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                     110-40

======================================================================
 
          AMENDING THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING ACT OF 1991

                                _______
                                

 March 8, 2007.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

Mr. Gordon of Tennessee, from the Committee on Science and Technology, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 1068]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Science and Technology, to whom was 
referred the bill (H.R. 1068) to amend the High-Performance 
Computing Act of 1991, having considered the same, report 
favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill 
do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
   I. Purpose of the Bill.............................................2
  II. Background and Need for the Legislation.........................2
 III. Summary of Hearings.............................................2
  IV. Committee Actions...............................................3
   V. Summary of Major Provisions of the Bill.........................4
  VI. Section-by-Section Analysis.....................................4
 VII. Committee Views.................................................6
VIII. Cost Estimate...................................................8
  IX. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate.......................8
   X. Compliance With Public Law 104-4 (Unfunded Mandates)............9
  XI. Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations................9
 XII. Statement on General Performance Goals and Objectives...........9
XIII. Constitutional Authority Statement..............................9
 XIV. Federal Advisory Committee Statement............................9
  XV. Congressional Accountability Act................................9
 XVI. Statement on Preemption of State, Local, or Tribal Law..........9
XVII. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported...........9
XVIII.Committee Recommendations......................................13

 XIX. Proceedings of the Full Committee Markup.......................14

                         I. Purpose of the Bill

    The purpose of the bill is to revitalize interagency 
coordination and planning for the interagency program, called 
the National Networking and Information Technology R&D (NITRD) 
program, established by the High-Performance Computing Act of 
1991 and to focus greater attention and resources on federal 
high-performance computing programs. The NITRD program includes 
activities at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the 
National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense 
(DOD), the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the 
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

              II. Background and Need for the Legislation

    High-performance computing and networking is an essential 
component of U.S. scientific, industrial, and military 
competitiveness, and the U.S. is still highly competitive in 
this field. The depth and strength of U.S. capability stems in 
part from the sustained research and development program 
carried out by federal research agencies under the NITRD 
program codified by the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991. 
That Act is widely credited with reinvigorating U.S. high-
performance computing capabilities after a period of relative 
decline during the late 1980s.
    The Federal government promotes high-performance computing 
and networking in several different ways. First, it funds 
research and development at universities, government 
laboratories and companies to help develop new hardware and 
software; second, it funds the purchase of high-performance 
computers for universities and government laboratories and 
supports access to high-speed networks; and third, it provides 
access to high-performance computers for a wide variety of 
researchers by allowing them to use government-supported 
computers at universities and government laboratories.
    The total estimated NITRD program budget for all agencies 
for Fiscal Year 2006 (FY06) is $2,838 million. The largest 
research and development programs are at DOD, $1106 million; 
NSF, $812 million; the DOE Office of Science, $282 million, and 
NIH, $486 million. These budget estimates do not include the 
procurement costs for high-performance computers purchased by 
agencies such as National Nuclear Security Administration 
(NNSA) and NOAA for computational science related to their 
missions. The NITRD program includes several program component 
areas including high-end computing (often referred to as 
supercomputing); large scale networking; human-computer 
interaction and information management; cyber security; high 
confidence software and systems; social, economic and workforce 
implications of information technology; and software design and 
productivity.

                        III. Summary of Hearings

    On May 12, 2005, the Committee on Science held a hearing to 
examine the state of computer science research in the U.S. and 
the evolution of federal support for this field. Dr. John 
Marburger, Director of the Office of Science and Technology 
Policy (OSTP), spoke to the importance of the NITRD program to 
support advances in all areas of information technology. He 
agreed with the conclusion of a recent report from the 
President's Information Technology Advisory Committee that 
improved coordination was needed in the NITRD program to 
increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the government's 
investment in cyber security research. He also pointed out that 
the NITRD coordination office was attempting to identify 
important scientific questions and technical problems for which 
forward progress in understanding is difficult or impossible 
without leading edge computing capabilities. Dr. Thomson 
Leighton, Chief Scientist of Akamai Technologies, commented on 
the need for more effective priority setting to ensure the 
federal investment in information technology meets national 
needs, particularly in cyber security areas. Dr. William Wulf, 
President of the National Academy of Engineering, and Dr. 
Anthony Tether, Director of the Defense Advanced Research 
Projects Agency, differed on whether DARPA had moved its 
support away from university-based basic information technology 
research and on the effect of current patterns of agencies' 
funding on the overall health of research in this field.
    On May 13, 2004, the Committee on Science held a hearing to 
examine the current state of federal high-performance computing 
research and development activities. Dr. John Marburger, 
Director of OSTP, released the report of OSTP's High-End 
Computing Revitalization Task Force, Federal Plan for High-End 
Computing, during his appearance before the Committee. He also 
endorsed H.R. 4218 (the bill on which H.R. 1068 is based) on 
behalf of the Administration. Dr. Marburger also released the 
report of OSTP's High-End Computing Revitalization Task Force, 
Federal Plan for High-End Computing, during his appearance 
before the Committee.
    The other witnesses also voiced their support for the 
legislation. The Committee heard testimony from Dr. Irving 
Wladawsky-Berger, Vice President for Technology and Strategy, 
IBM Corporation; Dr. Daniel Reed, Director of the Renaissance 
Computing Institute at the University of North Carolina at 
Chapel Hill; and Dr. Rick Stevens, Director of the Mathematics 
and Computer Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory. 
Witnesses addressed the need for an ongoing, coordinated 
interagency planning process to guide federal investment in 
high-performance computing procurements, research, and 
development. The witnesses noted the importance of the federal 
role in high-performance computing to ensure U.S. leadership in 
the field, and to ensure that U.S. academic and industrial 
researchers have access to leadership class machines.

                         IV. Committee Actions

    On February 15, 2007, Research and Science Education 
Subcommittee Chairman Brian Baird and Representative Judy 
Biggert introduced H.R. 1068, a bill to amend the High-
Performance Computing Act of 1991 and to strengthen the U.S. 
position in high-performance computing.
    The Full Committee on Science and Technology met on 
Wednesday, February 28, 2007, to consider the bill. No 
amendments were offered.
    Mr. Hall moved that the Committee favorably report the 
bill, H.R. 1068, to the House with the recommendation that the 
bill do pass, and that the staff be instructed to make 
technical and conforming changes to the bill and prepare the 
legislative report and that the Chairman take all necessary 
steps to bring the bill before the House for consideration. 
With a quorum present, the motion was agreed to by a voice 
vote.

               V. Summary of Major Provisions of the Bill

     Defines ``high-performance computing'' as advanced 
computing, communications, and information technologies, 
including supercomputer systems, high-capacity and high-speed 
networks, special purpose and experimental systems, 
applications and systems software, and the management of large 
data sets.
     Updates the authorized activities of the 
interagency High-Performance Computing Research and Development 
Program. Requires the program to provide for long-term basic 
and applied research on high-performance computing; sustained 
access by the research community in the United States to high-
performance computing systems; computational science and 
engineering research on mathematical modeling and algorithms 
for applications in all fields of science and engineering; and 
educating and training of additional undergraduate and graduate 
students in fields relevant to high-performance computing.
     Updates and strengthens the coordination 
responsibilities of the Director of the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy (OSTP). Requires the Director to establish 
the goals and priorities for Federal high-performance computing 
research, development, networking, and other activities and to 
develop and maintain a research, development, and deployment 
roadmap for the provision of high-performance computing systems 
for use by the research community in the United States.
     Requires the outside advisory committee for the 
NITRD program to conduct periodic evaluations of the funding, 
management, coordination, implementation, and activities of the 
program, and to report to Congress on the findings.

                    VI. Section-by-Section Analysis


                SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF H.R. 1068

Sec. 1. High-Performance Computing Research and Development Program

    Amends section 101 of the High-Performance Computing Act of 
1991 (HPC Act), which describes the organization and 
responsibilities of the interagency research and development 
program originally referred to as the National High-Performance 
Computing Program--and renamed the High-Performance Computing 
Research and Development Program in this Act. Requires the 
program to:
           Provide for long-term basic and applied 
        research on high-performance computing;
           Provide for research and development on, and 
        demonstration of, technologies to advance the capacity 
        and capabilities of high-performance computing and 
        networking systems;
           Provide for sustained access by the research 
        community in the United States to high-performance 
        computing systems that are among the most advanced in 
        the world in terms of performance in solving scientific 
        and engineering problems, including provision for 
        technical support for users of such systems;
           Provide for efforts to increase software 
        availability, productivity, capability, security, 
        portability, and reliability;
           Provide for high-performance networks, 
        including experimental testbed networks, to enable 
        research and development on, and demonstration of, 
        advanced applications enabled by such networks;
           Provide for computational science and 
        engineering research on mathematical modeling and 
        algorithms for applications in all fields of science 
        and engineering;
           Provide for the technical support of, and 
        research and development on, high-performance computing 
        systems and software required to address Grand 
        Challenges;
           Provide for educating and training 
        additional undergraduate and graduate students in 
        software engineering, computer science, computer and 
        network security, applied mathematics, library and 
        information science, and computational science;
           Provide for improving the security of 
        computing and networking systems, including research 
        required to establish security standards and practices 
        for these systems.
    Requires the Director of the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy (OSTP) to:
           Establish the goals and priorities for 
        Federal high-performance computing research, 
        development, networking, and other activities;
           Establish Program Component Areas that 
        implement the goals established for the Program and 
        identify the Grand Challenges that the Program should 
        address;
           Provide for interagency coordination of 
        Federal high-performance computing research, 
        development, networking, and other activities 
        undertaken pursuant to the Program;
           Develop and maintain a research, 
        development, and deployment roadmap for the provision 
        of high-performance computing systems for use by the 
        research community in the United States.
    Leaves substantially unchanged the provisions of the HPC 
Act requiring the Director of OSTP to:
           Provide an annual report to Congress, along 
        with the annual budget request, describing the 
        implementation of the Program, including current and 
        proposed funding levels and programmatic changes, if 
        any, from the previous year;
           Consult with academic, State, and other 
        appropriate groups conducting research on and using 
        high-performance computing.
    Requires the Director of OSTP to include in his annual 
report to Congress:
           A detailed description of the Program 
        Component Areas, including a description of any changes 
        in the definition of activities under the Program 
        Component Areas from the previous year, and the reasons 
        for such changes, and a description of Grand Challenges 
        supported under the Program;
           An analysis of the extent to which the 
        Program incorporates the recommendations of the 
        Advisory Committee established by section 101(b) of the 
        HPC Act.
    Requires the Advisory Committee to conduct periodic 
evaluations of the funding, management, coordination, 
implementation, and activities of the Program, and to report to 
Congress once every two fiscal years, with the first report due 
within one year of enactment.

Sec. 2. Definitions

    Amends section 4 of the HPC Act to further elaborate on, or 
amend, the definition of terms used in the Act:
           ``Grand Challenge'' means a fundamental 
        problem in science or engineering, with broad economic 
        and scientific impact, whose solution will require the 
        application of high-performance computing resources and 
        multidisciplinary teams of researchers;
           ``High-performance computing'' means 
        advanced computing, communications, and information 
        technologies, including supercomputer systems, high-
        capacity and high-speed networks, special purpose and 
        experimental systems, applications and systems 
        software, and the management of large data sets;
           ``Program'' means the High-Performance 
        Computing Research and Development Program described in 
        section 101;
           ``Program Component Areas'' means the major 
        subject areas under which are grouped related 
        individual projects and activities carried out under 
        the Program.

                          VII. Committee Views


                 INTERAGENCY PLANNING AND COORDINATION

    The High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 codified an 
interagency planning process that remains in place today. The 
Committee expects all of the participating agencies to engage 
in a forward-looking planning and coordination process led by 
OSTP to coordinate high-performance computing activities across 
the federal government. The agencies, led by OSTP, should 
submit a coordinated budget for federal high-performance 
computing activities to the Office of Management and Budget. 
Furthermore, the agencies, led by OSTP, should develop and 
periodically refine a research, development, and deployment 
roadmap for high-performance computing systems. In addition, in 
formulating plans for the Program, the Committee expects the 
participating agencies to take into consideration the findings 
and recommendations of the advisory committee established by 
section 101(b) of the Act, which is required to conduct 
recurring reviews of the planning, implementation, and contents 
of the Program.

    ASSURING U.S. RESEARCHERS SUSTAINED ACCESS TO HIGH-PERFORMANCE 
                        COMPUTING INFRASTRUCTURE

    The Committee believes that the High-Performance Computing 
Program, in general, and NSF and DOE's Office of Science, in 
particular, must provide U.S. researchers with sustained access 
to high-performance computers that are among the most advanced 
in the world in terms of performance in solving scientific and 
engineering problems. This is necessary in order for the U.S. 
to maintain its position as a world leader in scientific and 
engineering fields and in technology innovation. By ``among the 
most advanced in the world,'' the Committee means general 
purpose scientific computing systems that would rank among the 
top few systems in existence in performance (1) on widely 
accepted standardized tests, such as the LINPACK Benchmark used 
to generate the Top 500 list; and (2) on actual production 
codes for solving the most demanding problems in science and 
engineering disciplines. The Committee intends that such 
computing systems be equivalent to ``Leadership Systems'' as 
described in the May 10, 2004 OSTP report, Federal Plan for 
High-End Computing.
    Overall, the Committee believes that for the federal 
government to effectively meet the scientific community's high-
performance computing needs, NSF and DOE's Office of Science 
each must support Leadership Systems which should be available 
for use by researchers from academia, industry, and government 
laboratories. By use of the phrase ``sustained access'' in 
section 101(a)(1)(C) the Committee expects NSF and DOE to 
develop and maintain plans and budgets to assure ongoing 
improvements in the capability of high-performance computing 
user facilities, such as the NSF supercomputer centers and 
DOE's Office of Science high-end (high-performance) computing 
user facilities, so that the computing infrastructure made 
available through these facilities remains among the most 
advanced in the world.
    But the most advanced high-performance computing hardware, 
on its own, will not be enough to enable researchers to conduct 
the most advanced science. The Committee believes that the 
development of software, applications, networking, and data 
storage and management techniques, including support for the 
applied mathematics required to develop advanced software and 
algorithms, will be essential to enable researchers to make 
effective use of the high-performance computing resources made 
available under this Act.

   NATIONAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM 
                                (NITRD)

    The NITRD program includes eight program component areas: 
High End Computing Infrastructure and Applications, High End 
Computing Research and Development, Large Scale Networking, 
Software Design and Productivity, Human-Computer Interaction 
and Information Management, High Confidence Software and 
Systems, Cyber Security and Information Assurance, and Social, 
Economic, and Workforce Implications of Information Technology. 
The Committee recognizes that all program component areas are 
essential parts of the federal information technology research 
and development effort and expects the planning and 
coordination process for the NITRD program to result in an 
appropriate balance of resources among the program component 
areas. The committee expects the annual report for the program 
to provide the rationale for the allocation of funding among 
the program component areas. The Committee expects that the 
allocations for the high-end computing component areas will be 
sufficient to carry out the requirements of section 
101(a)(1)(C) of this Act.

                          VIII. Cost Estimate

    A cost estimate and comparison prepared by the Director of 
the Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 has been timely submitted to 
the Committee on Science and Technology prior to the filing of 
this report and is included in Section IX of this report 
pursuant to House rule XIII, clause 3(c)(3).
    H.R. 1086 does not contain new budget authority, credit 
authority, or changes in revenues or tax expenditures. H.R. 
1086 does not authorize additional discretionary spending, as 
described in the Congressional Budget Office report on the 
bill, which is contained in Section IX of this report.

             IX. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

                                                     March 5, 2007.
Hon. Bart Gordon,
Chairman, Committee on Science and Technology,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1068, a bill to 
amend the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Daniel 
Hoople.
            Sincerely,
                                                   Peter R. Orszag.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 1068--A bill to amend the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991

    H.R. 1068 would amend existing statutory guidelines for 
interagency research and development (R&D) within the National 
High-Performance Computing Program. The bill would realign 
program objectives with the current R&D priorities of 
individual agencies, repeal authorizations for activities that 
are technologically outdated, and emphasize more current 
issues, such as providing researchers sustained access to the 
most advanced computing systems in the world. In addition, the 
bill would direct the program's advisory committee to provide 
the Congress with an evaluation of program funding, management, 
and effectiveness at least once every two years.
    Nondefense R&D on high-performance computing is conducted 
at six agencies: the National Science Foundation, the 
Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department 
of Commerce, and the Environmental Protection Agency. CBO 
expects that implementing H.R. 1068 would have no effect on 
individual agency requirements but would update and realign the 
goals of overall R&D policy as overseen by the Office of 
Science and Technology Policy. As such, CBO estimates that 
enacting H.R. 1068 would have no significant net impact on the 
federal budget.
    H.R. 1068 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would impose no costs on state, local, and tribal governments.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Daniel Hoople. 
This estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

        X. Compliance With Public Law 104-4 (Unfunded Mandates)

    H.R. 1068 contains no unfunded mandates.

          XI. Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations

    The Committee on Science and Technology's oversight 
findings and recommendations are reflected in the body of this 
report.

       XII. Statement on General Performance Goals and Objectives

    Pursuant to clause (3)(c) of House rule XIII, the goals of 
H.R. 1068 are to update the activities of the interagency High-
Performance Computing Program and to expand the 
responsibilities of OSTP and advisory committee to the Program 
in order to enhance the planning, management, and coordination 
of the Program.

                XIII. Constitutional Authority Statement

    Article I, section 8 of the Constitution of the United 
States grants Congress the authority to enact H.R. 1067.

               XIV. Federal Advisory Committee Statement

    The functions of the advisory committee required by H.R. 
1068 could be performed by one or more agencies or by enlarging 
the mandate of another existing advisory committee.

                  XV. Congressional Accountability Act

    The Committee finds that H.R. 1068 does not relate to the 
terms and conditions of employment or access to public services 
or accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of 
the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 104-1).

      XVI. Statement on Preemption of State, Local, or Tribal Law

    This bill is not intended to preempt any state, local, or 
tribal law.

      XVII. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported

  In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law 
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new 
matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman):

HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING ACT OF 1991

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *



SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

   As used in this Act, the term--
          (1) * * *
          (2) ``Grand Challenge'' means a fundamental problem 
        in science or engineering, with broad economic and 
        scientific impact, whose solution will require the 
        application of high-performance computing resources and 
        multidisciplinary teams of researchers;
          (3) ``high-performance computing'' means advanced 
        computing, communications, and information 
        technologies, including [scientific workstations,] 
        supercomputer systems [(including vector supercomputers 
        and large scale parallel systems)], high-capacity and 
        high-speed networks, special purpose and experimental 
        systems, [and applications] applications and systems 
        software, and the management of large data sets;
          (4) ``Internet'' means the international computer 
        network of both Federal and non-Federal interoperable 
        [packet switched] data networks;
          (5) ``Network'' means a computer network referred to 
        as the National Research and Education Network 
        established under section 102; [and]
          (6) ``Program'' means the National High-Performance 
        Computing Program described in section 101[.]; and
          (7) ``Program Component Areas'' means the major 
        subject areas under which are grouped related 
        individual projects and activities carried out under 
        the Program.

  TITLE I--HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING [AND THE NATIONAL RESEARCH AND 
              EDUCATION NETWORK] RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

SEC. 101. NATIONAL HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING PROGRAM.

  (a) National High-Performance Computing Program.--(1) The 
President shall implement a National High-Performance Computing 
Program, which shall--
          [(A) establish the goals and priorities for Federal 
        high-performance computing research, development, 
        networking, and other activities; and
          [(B) provide for interagency coordination of Federal 
        high-performance computing research, development, 
        networking, and other activities undertaken pursuant to 
        the Program.]
          (A) provide for long-term basic and applied research 
        on high-performance computing;
          (B) provide for research and development on, and 
        demonstration of, technologies to advance the capacity 
        and capabilities of high-performance computing and 
        networking systems;
          (C) provide for sustained access by the research 
        community in the United States to high-performance 
        computing systems that are among the most advanced in 
        the world in terms of performance in solving scientific 
        and engineering problems, including provision for 
        technical support for users of such systems;
          (D) provide for efforts to increase software 
        availability, productivity, capability, security, 
        portability, and reliability;
          (E) provide for high-performance networks, including 
        experimental testbed networks, to enable research and 
        development on, and demonstration of, advanced 
        applications enabled by such networks;
          (F) provide for computational science and engineering 
        research on mathematical modeling and algorithms for 
        applications in all fields of science and engineering;
          (G) provide for the technical support of, and 
        research and development on, high-performance computing 
        systems and software required to address Grand 
        Challenges;
          (H) provide for educating and training additional 
        undergraduate and graduate students in software 
        engineering, computer science, computer and network 
        security, applied mathematics, library and information 
        science, and computational science; and
          (I) provide for improving the security of computing 
        and networking systems, including Federal systems, 
        including research required to establish security 
        standards and practices for these systems.
  [(2) The Program shall--
          [(A) provide for the development of technologies to 
        advance the capacity and capabilities of the Internet;
          [(B) provide for high performance testbed networks to 
        enable the research, development, and demonstration of 
        advanced networking technologies and to develop and 
        demonstrate advanced applications made possible by the 
        existence of such testbed networks;
          [(C) promote connectivity among computer networks of 
        Federal agencies and departments;
          [(D) provide for efforts to increase software 
        availability, productivity, capability, portability, 
        and reliability;
          [(E) provide for improved dissemination of Federal 
        agency data and electronic information;
          [(F) provide for acceleration of the development of 
        high-performance computing systems, subsystems, and 
        associated software;
          [(G) provide for the technical support and research 
        and development of high-performance computing software 
        and hardware needed to address Grand Challenges;
          [(H) provide for educating and training additional 
        undergraduate and graduate students in software 
        engineering, computer science, library and information 
        science, and computational science; and
          [(I) provide--
                  [(i) for the security requirements, policies, 
                and standards necessary to protect Federal 
                research computer networks and information 
                resources accessible through Federal research 
                computer networks, including research required 
                to establish security standards for high-
                performance computing systems and networks; and
                  [(ii) that agencies and departments 
                identified in the annual report submitted under 
                paragraph (3)(A) shall define and implement a 
                security plan consistent with the Program and 
                with applicable law.]
  [(3)] (2) The Director shall--
          (A) establish the goals and priorities for Federal 
        high-performance computing research, development, 
        networking, and other activities;
          (B) establish Program Component Areas that implement 
        the goals established under subparagraph (A), and 
        identify the Grand Challenges that the Program should 
        address;
          (C) provide for interagency coordination of Federal 
        high-performance computing research, development, 
        networking, and other activities undertaken pursuant to 
        the Program;
          [(A)] (D) submit to the Congress an annual report, 
        along with the President's annual budget request, 
        describing the implementation of the Program;
          [(B) provide for interagency coordination of the 
        Program; and]
          (E) develop and maintain a research, development, and 
        deployment roadmap for the provision of high-
        performance computing systems under paragraph (1)(C); 
        and
          [(C)] (F) consult with academic, State, industry, and 
        other appropriate groups conducting research on and 
        using high-performance computing.
  [(4)] (3) The annual report submitted under [paragraph 
(3)(A)]  paragraph (2)(D) shall--
          [(A) include a detailed description of the goals and 
        priorities established by the President for the 
        Program;]
          (A) provide a detailed description of the Program 
        Component Areas, including a description of any changes 
        in the definition of or activities under the Program 
        Component Areas from the preceding report, and the 
        reasons for such changes, and a description of Grand 
        Challenges supported under the Program;

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

          (C) describe the levels of Federal funding for the 
        fiscal year during which such report is submitted, and 
        the levels proposed for the fiscal year with respect to 
        which the budget submission applies, for [specific 
        activities, including education, research, hardware and 
        software development, and support for the establishment 
        of the Network] each Program Component Area;
          (D) describe the levels of Federal funding for each 
        agency and department participating in the Program and 
        for each Program Component Area for the fiscal year 
        during which such report is submitted, and the levels 
        proposed for the fiscal year with respect to which the 
        budget submission applies; and
          [(E) include the report of the Secretary of Energy 
        required by section 203(d); and]
          [(F)] (E) include an analysis of the progress made 
        toward achieving the goals and priorities established 
        for the Program and the extent to which the Program 
        incorporates the recommendations of the advisory 
        committee established under subsection (b).
  [(b) Advisory Committee.--The President shall establish an 
advisory committee on high-performance computing consisting of 
non-Federal members, including representatives of the research, 
education, and library communities, network providers, and 
industry, who are specially qualified to provide the Director 
with advice and information on high-performance computing. The 
recommendations of the advisory committee shall be considered 
in reviewing and revising the Program. The advisory committee 
shall provide the Director with an independent assessment of--
          [(1) progress made in implementing the Program;
          [(2) the need to revise the Program;
          [(3) the balance between the components of the 
        Program;
          [(4) whether the research and development undertaken 
        pursuant to the Program is helping to maintain United 
        States leadership in computing technology; and
          [(5) other issues identified by the Director.]
  (b) Advisory Committee.--(1) The President shall establish an 
advisory committee on high-performance computing consisting of 
non-Federal members, including representatives of the research, 
education, and library communities, network providers, and 
industry, who are specially qualified to provide the Director 
with advice and information on high-performance computing. The 
recommendations of the advisory committee shall be considered 
in reviewing and revising the Program. The advisory committee 
shall provide the Director with an independent assessment of--
          (A) progress made in implementing the Program;
          (B) the need to revise the Program;
          (C) the balance between the components of the 
        Program, including funding levels for the Program 
        Component Areas;
          (D) whether the research and development undertaken 
        pursuant to the Program is helping to maintain United 
        States leadership in high-performance computing and 
        networking technology; and
          (E) other issues identified by the Director.
  (2) In addition to the duties outlined in paragraph (1), the 
advisory committee shall conduct periodic evaluations of the 
funding, management, coordination, implementation, and 
activities of the Program, and shall report not less frequently 
than once every two fiscal years to the Committee on Science of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate on its findings and 
recommendations. The first report shall be due within one year 
after the date of enactment of this paragraph.
  (3) Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act shall 
not apply to the advisory committee established by this 
subsection.
  (c) Office of Management and Budget.--(1) Each Federal agency 
and department participating in the Program shall, as part of 
its annual request for appropriations to the Office of 
Management and Budget, submit a report to the Office of 
Management and Budget which--
          (A) identifies each element of its high-performance 
        computing activities which contributes directly to the 
        [Program or] Program Component Areas or benefits from 
        the Program; and

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


                    XVIII. Committee Recommendations

    On February 28, 2007, a quorum being present, the Committee 
on Science and Technology favorably reported H.R. 1068 by a 
voice vote and recommended its enactment.



 XIX. PROCEEDINGS OF THE FULL COMMITTEE MARKUP ON H.R. 1068, TO AMEND 
               THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING ACT OF 1991

                              ----------                              


                      WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2007

                  House of Representatives,
                       Committee on Science and Technology,
                                                    Washington, DC.

    The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:05 a.m., in Room 
2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Bart Gordon 
[Chairman of the Committee] presiding.
    Chairman Gordon. Good morning. The Committee on Science and 
Technology will come to order. Pursuant to notice, the 
Committee on Science and Technology meets to consider the 
following measures: H.R. 363, Sowing the Seeds Through Science 
and Engineering Research Act; H.R. 1068, To amend the High-
Performance Computing Act of 1991; H.R. 1126, To reauthorize 
the Steel and Aluminum Energy Conservation and Technology 
Competitiveness Act of 1988; and H.R. 85, the Energy Technology 
Transfer.
    Today, we are here to mark up these four bipartisan bills. 
They are all good bills and I am happy to support them all. I 
want to note that all of these bills have extensive legislative 
histories in prior Congress. It is not my intention for this 
committee to regularly markup legislation that has not gone 
through the Subcommittee hearing process; however, as I noted 
before, these bills were fully vetted in the last Congress and 
they are ready to go.
    I have said it before and I will say it again. I want this 
committee to be a Committee of good ideas. Here, we have four 
good ideas and I hope four bills everybody on this committee 
can get behind and support.
    Now I recognize Mr. Hall to present his opening remarks.
    Mr. Hall. Mr. Chairman, I thank you for calling the markup 
today. We have before us today, as you say, four bills that 
were passed by this Committee in the 109th Congress, and I look 
forward to their easy passage again today. The continued 
bipartisan support for these bills reflects their broad appeal 
and the fact that they are good bills and they are good for 
this country.
    The National Academy of Science's Rising Above the 
Gathering Storm and the President's American Competitiveness 
Initiative have emphasized the importance of supporting high-
risk research, young researchers, and research infrastructure 
in the U.S. to ensure that the next generation of high tech 
industries and products are developed in the United States.
    H.R. 363 is a step in the right direction. I thank the 
Chairman for his willingness to work with us on improving this 
legislation, and recommend a yes vote for the manager's 
amendment and for the underlying measure.
    As the Chairman has already mentioned, Mrs. Biggert has 
been instrumental in getting a high-performance computing bill 
through the Committee and the full House, for that matter, in 
two previous Congresses, and I certainly applaud her and Mr. 
Baird for their persistence. I recommend a yes vote on H.R. 
1068 and trust the Senate will follow suit when it is sent to 
them once again.
    I am happy to see Mr. Lipinski and Mr. Ehlers continuing 
former Representative Hart's lead in their continuing effort to 
reauthorize the Steel and Aluminum Energy Conservation and 
Technology Competitiveness Act of 1988. This is another bill 
that has been passed twice by our committee in the full House, 
and I also recommend a yes vote for H.R. 1126.
    I would also recommend a yes vote for Representative 
Biggert and Representative Miller's bill, H.R. 85, that will 
provide for the establishment of centers to encourage 
demonstration and commercial applications of advanced energy 
methods and technology. As I understand, they will be offering 
an amendment in the nature of a substitute that makes technical 
corrections, which I support as well.
    Mr. Chairman, I look forward to these bills moving to the 
Floor. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Hall follows:]
           Prepared Statement of Representative Ralph M. Hall
    Mr. Chairman, thank you for calling this markup today. We have 
before us today four bills that were passed by this committee in the 
109th Congress, and I look forward to their easy passage again today. 
The continued bipartisan support for these bills reflects their broad 
appeal and the fact that they are good bills that are good for the 
country.
    The National Academy of Science's Rising above the Gathering Storm 
and the President's American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) have 
emphasized the importance of supporting high-risk research, young 
researchers, and research infrastructure in the United States to ensure 
that the next generation of high-tech industries and products are 
developed in the United States. H.R. 363 is a step in the right 
direction. This bill authorizes programs at the National Science 
Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science 
to provide grants to researchers just starting their careers to conduct 
high-risk, high-return research at the cutting edge of new scientific 
fields. In addition, it requires NIST to report to us on their efforts 
to recruit and retain young scientists and engineers, and it includes 
our recognition that NASA should be at the table for any interagency 
efforts to promote innovation and economic competitiveness. I thank the 
Chairman for his willingness to work with us on improving this 
legislation and recommend a ``yes'' vote for the managers' amendment 
and for the underlying measure.
    As the Chairman has already mentioned, Mrs. Biggert has been 
instrumental in getting this bill through the Committee, and the full 
House for that matter, in two previous Congresses, and I applaud her 
and Mr. Baird for their persistence. I recommend a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 
1068 and trust the Senate will follow suit when it is sent to them once 
again.
    I am happy to see Mr. Lipinski and Mr. Ehlers continuing former 
Representative Hart's lead in their continuing effort to reauthorize 
the Steel and Aluminum Energy Conservation and Technology 
Competitiveness Act of 1988. This is another bill that has been passed 
twice by our committee, and the full House and I also recommend a 
``yes'' vote for H.R. 1126.
    I would also recommend a ``yes'' vote for Rep. Biggert and Rep. 
Miller's bill, H.R. 85 that will provide for the establishment of 
centers to encourage demonstration and commercial application of 
advanced energy methods and technologies. I understand they will be 
offering an amendment in the nature of a substitute that makes 
technical corrections which I will support as well.
    Mr. Chairman, I look forward to these bills moving to the floor and 
being passed. With that I yield back the balance of my time.

    Chairman Gordon. Thank you, Mr. Hall.
    Without objection, Members may place statements in the 
record.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Mitchell follows:]
          Prepared Statement of Representative Harry Mitchell
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    America needs innovators and leaders if it wants to remain 
competitive in the global economy. This is especially true when it 
comes to science and engineering.
    Retaining scientists and engineers, however, is often difficult, 
because they receive such low pay early-on in their careers.
    If we don't invest early in our future innovators, we will fall 
behind.
    Spreading technological innovation across existing industry is 
another indispensable part of maintaining our competitiveness.
    In my view, we should help businesses access both the technology 
and the research they need to modernize and improve their efficiency.
    Industry standards can also play a role.
    Today, we are considering four bills to address these issues and I 
look forward to working on them.
    I yield back the balance of my time.
    Chairman Gordon. We will now consider H.R. 1068, To amend the High-
Performance Computing Act of 1991.
    I yield to Mr. Baird for five minutes to describe his bill.

    Mr. Baird. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for calling up 
H.R. 1068, a bill to amend the High-Performance Computing Act 
of 1991, which Congresswoman Biggert and I introduced. I want 
to particularly acknowledge the role that Ms. Biggert has 
played in working to develop the legislation over the past 
several years.
    Indeed, as the Chair mentioned, this bill has been passed 
by two prior Congresses. It was led on its way by Ms. Biggert 
and by Lincoln Davis on our side of the aisle, and they are 
both to be commended for that effort.
    This bill focuses on improving the way the interagency 
networking and information technology R&D program is planned 
and prioritized. The bill seeks to reverse what I would 
characterize as a weakening of the planning mechanism for this 
R&D program established by the 1991 Act.
    High-performance computing technology is vital to the 
Nation's economic competitiveness and security, and it is 
important to ensure that resources are available to advance the 
technology are allocated to the highest priority areas, and 
that the activities supported are carefully coordinated among 
the performing agencies. To that end, the bill requires formal 
biennial reviews of the interagency program by its external 
advisory committee in order to provide advise from the research 
community and from the information technology industries on how 
to sharpen program priorities and improve program 
implementation. Also, the required annual progress report for 
the program must now include a formal response to the 
recommendations of the advisory committee.
    H.R. 1068 calls on the agencies carrying out the program to 
focus more effort on high-end computing. The key requirement is 
for the Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop and 
maintain a road map for developing and deploying high-end 
systems necessary to ensure that the U.S. research community 
has sustained access to the most capable computing systems. 
This requirement is consistent with the recommendation of the 
President's Information Technology Advisory Committee to ensure 
the research community has access to the most powerful 
computing systems.
    Finally, the bill clarifies the grand challenge problems 
supported under the interagency program that are intended to 
involve multi-disciplinary teams of researchers working on 
science and engineering problems that demand the most capable 
high-performance computing and networking resources.
    Consistent with this requirement, the bill also specifies 
the provisions for access to high-end computing systems 
includes technical support to users of these systems.
    Mr. Chairman, the interagency research program launched by 
the 1991 Act has been largely a success. The program has made a 
substantial contribution to moving computation to an equal 
place alongside theory and experiment as the principle tools 
for conducting science and engineering research, and it has 
helped provide the computing and networking infrastructure 
required to support leading edge research and to drive 
information technology forward for the benefit of society at 
large.
    H.R. 1068 will strive to--will serve to strengthen the 
research program and deserves the approval of the Committee. In 
a nutshell, my colleagues, what we are doing is making sure 
America stays first in this critical endeavor.
    I ask my colleagues to support in reporting the bill 
favorably to the House.
    I thank the Chairman.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Baird follows:]
            Prepared Statement of Representative Brian Baird
    Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for calling up H.R. 1068, a bill 
to amend the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991, which 
Congresswoman Biggert and I introduced. I want particularly to 
acknowledge the role Mrs. Biggert has played in working to develop this 
legislation over the past several years. This bill is based on a bill 
introduced by Congresswoman Biggert and Congressman Lincoln Davis 
during the past two Congresses, both of which passed the House.
    This bill focuses on improving the way the interagency Networking 
and Information Technology R&D program is planned and prioritized. The 
bill seeks to reverse what I would characterize as a weakening of the 
planning mechanisms for this R&D program established by the 1991 Act.
    High-performance computing and communications technology is vital 
to the Nation's economic competitiveness and security, and it is 
important to ensure that the resources available to advance the 
technology are allocated to the highest priority areas and that the 
activities supported are carefully coordinated among the performing 
agencies.
    To that end, the bill requires formal biennial reviews of the 
interagency program by its external advisory committee in order to 
provide advice from the research community and from the information 
technology industries on how to sharpen program priorities and improve 
program implementation. Also, the required annual progress report for 
the program must now include a formal response to the recommendations 
of the advisory committee.
    H.R. 1068 calls on the agencies carrying out the program to focus 
more effort on high-end computing. The key requirement is for the 
Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop and maintain a 
roadmap for developing and deploying high-end systems necessary to 
ensure that the U.S. research community has sustained access to the 
most capable computing systems. This requirement is consistent with the 
recommendation of the President's Information Technology Advisory 
Committee to ensure the research community has access to the most 
powerful computing systems.
    Finally, the bill clarifies that Grand Challenge problems supported 
under the interagency program are intended to involve multi-
disciplinary teams of researchers working on science and engineering 
problems that demand the most capable high-performance computing and 
networking resources. Consistent with this requirement, the bill also 
specifies that provision for access to high-end computing systems 
includes technical support to users of these systems.
    Mr. Chairman, the interagency research program launched by the 1991 
Act has been largely a success. The program has made a substantial 
contribution to moving computation to an equal place along side theory 
and experiment as the principal tools for conducting science and 
engineering research. And it has helped provide the computing and 
networking infrastructure required to support leading edge research and 
to drive information technology forward for the benefit of society at 
large.
    H.R. 1068 will serve to strengthen the research program and 
deserves the approval of the Committee. I ask my colleagues for their 
support in reporting the bill favorably to the House.

    Chairman Gordon. Thank you, Mr. Baird.
    I recognize Mr. Hall to present any remarks on the bill.
    Mr. Hall. Mr. Chairman, when we pass this bill and prior to 
the time of going in to 1126, I am going to ask unanimous 
consent that Mr. McCaul be authorized to put a statement into 
the record and make whatever statements that he wants to make.
    At this time, I yield my time to Mrs. Biggert.
    Ms. Biggert. Thank you, Ranking Member Hall, for yielding 
me the time, and thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    As Yogi Berra said, it is like deja vu all over again, and 
we bring this bill back from several Congresses.
    Unfortunately in the past, our friends on the other side of 
the Capitol, Congress after Congress, have come up with 
jurisdictional excuses for why they haven't even considered 
this legislation. That was endorsed by the President's science 
advisor, Dr. Marburger, some time ago, and that is a real 
shame.
    When I first introduced the first High-Performance 
Computing Revitalization Act in April 2004, a new Japanese 
computer, the Earth simulator, was the fastest supercomputer in 
the world, a title that it held for well over two years, from 
June of 2002 to November of 2004. Some experts claimed that 
Japan was able to produce a computer far ahead of American 
machines because the U.S. had taken an overly cautious or 
conventional approach to computing R&D. In hindsight, we see 
that caution meant many lost opportunities.
    Granted, a lot has changed since November of 2004. The U.S. 
is now home not only to the fastest supercomputer--we do not 
like to be behind, do we--in the world, not only that, but 
seven of the ten fastest computers, thanks to the hard work and 
competitive spirit of people at IBM, Cray, and Silicon 
Graphics, as well as at the Department of Energy and NSF.
    But we have to remain vigilant if we are to retain 
leadership in the development and use of supercomputers, as 
confirmed by reports on the Council on Competitiveness and the 
President's Information Technology Advisory Committee, 
supercomputers are central to maintaining U.S. leadership in 
many scientific fields and have many applications, from 
pharmaceuticals and climate to the national and homeland 
security, and that is why the bill that we are considering 
today is so important.
    I am honored to be working with the Chairman of the 
Research and Science Education Subcommittee, Mr. Baird, on this 
straightforward, common sense legislation, and I am hoping that 
the third time is the charm. I have good reason to be hopeful, 
as Mr. Gordon and Mr. Baird have already indicated. We made 
changes in the bill, changes that would prevent our colleagues 
in the Senate from offering up jurisdictional excuses for not 
moving it.
    So I just want to say that this bill will provide 
researchers in the United States with the computing resources 
they need to remain world class. Our nation's scientific 
enterprise and our economy will be stronger for it. I urge my 
colleagues to support H.R. 1068.
    I yield back the balance of my time.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Biggert follows:]
           Prepared Statement of Representative Judy Biggert
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you Ranking Member Hall for 
yielding me the time.
    As Yogi Bera said, ``it's like deja vu, all over again.'' In both 
the 108th and 109th Congresses, I introduced legislation that would do 
exactly the same things as the bill we are considering today, H.R. 
1068. Both bills were approved not only by the Science Committee, but 
by the full House of Representatives as well.
    Unfortunately, our friends on the other side of the Capitol, 
Congress after Congress, have come up with jurisdictional excuses for 
why they haven't even considered this legislation that was endorsed by 
the President's Science Advisor, Dr. Marburger, some time ago. And 
that's a real shame.
    When I introduced the first High-Performance Computing 
Revitalization Act in April of 2004, a new Japanese Supercomputer, the 
Earth Simulator, was the fastest supercomputer in the world, a title it 
held for well over two years--from June 2002 through November of 2004. 
Some experts claim that Japan was able to produce a computer far ahead 
of American machines because the U.S. had taken an overly cautious or 
conventional approach to computing R&D. In hindsight, we see that 
caution meant lost opportunities.
    Granted, a lot has changed since November of 2004. The U.S. is now 
home to not only the fastest supercomputer in the world, but seven of 
the ten fastest, thanks to the hard work and competitive spirit of 
people at IBM, Cray, and Silicon Graphics Inc., as well as at the 
Department of Energy and NSF.
    But we must remain vigilant if we are to retain leadership in the 
development and use of supercomputers. As confirmed by reports of the 
Council on Competitiveness and the President's Information Technology 
Advisory Committee, supercomputers are central to maintaining U.S. 
leadership in many scientific fields, and have many applications, from 
pharmaceuticals and climate to national and homeland security. That's 
why the bill we are considering today is so important.
    Designed to ensure U.S. preeminence and competitiveness in 
computational science, this bill commits the Federal Government to:
          Providing the research community with sustained 
        access to the highest-end supercomputers,
          Supporting all aspects of high-performance computing, 
        including software development and data management, for 
        scientific and engineering applications, and
          Developing and maintaining a road map for 
        computational science and the fields that require it.
    I'm honored to be working with the Chairman of the Research and 
Science Education Subcommittee, Mr. Baird, on this straightforward, 
common-sense legislation. I'm hoping the third time's the charm. And I 
have good reason to be hopeful. As Mr. Baird and Chairman Gordon have 
already indicated, we made changes in this bill--changes that should 
prevent our colleagues in the Senate from offering up jurisdictional 
excuses for not moving it.
    In closing, I just want to say that this bill will provide 
researchers in the United States with the computing resources they need 
to remain world-class. Our nation's scientific enterprise and our 
economy will be stronger for it. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 
1068, and I yield back the balance of my time.

    Chairman Gordon. Thank you, Ms. Biggert.
    Does anyone else wish to be recognized?
    I ask unanimous consent that this bill is considered as 
read and open to amendment at any point, and that the Members 
proceed with the amendments in order of the roster. Without 
objection, so ordered.
    Are there any amendments?
    Hearing none, the vote is on the bill, H.R. 1068. All those 
in favor will say aye. All those opposed, say no. In the 
opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it.
    I recognize Mr. Hall to offer a motion.
    Mr. Hall. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee favorably 
report H.R. 1068 to the House, with recommendation that the 
bill do pass.
    Furthermore, I move that the staff be instructed to prepare 
the legislative report and make necessary technical and 
conforming changes, and that the Chairman take all necessary 
steps to bring the bill before the House for consideration.
    I yield back.
    Chairman Gordon. The question is on the motion to report 
the bill favorably. Those in favor of the motion will signify 
by saying aye. Opposed, no. The ayes have it. The bill is 
favorably reported.
    Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon 
the table. I move that Members have two subsequent calendar 
days in which to submit supplemental, minority or additional 
views on the measure. I move pursuant to Clause I of Rule 22 of 
the Rules of the House of Representatives that the Committee 
authorize the Chairman to offer such motions as may be 
necessary in the House to adopt and pass H.R. 1068, To amend 
the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991. Without objection, 
so ordered.
    Let me finally say that these amendments--and I thank all 
of you for a smooth hearing, smooth markup. We went fairly 
quick today, but the reason is there was a lot of staff work 
put in before this, and I thank the staff for that. I thank the 
Members for their patience, and this is the conclusion of our 
Committee markup.
    [Whereupon, at 11:08 a.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
                               Appendix:

                              ----------                              


                 H.R. 1068, Section-by-Section Summary






                Section-by-Section Summary of H.R. 1068

Sec. 1.  High-Performance Computing Research and Development Program

    Amends section 101 of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 
(HPC Act), which describes the organization and responsibilities of the 
interagency research and development program originally referred to as 
the National High-Performance Computing Program--and renamed the High-
Performance Computing Research and Development Program in this Act. 
Requires the program to:

          Provide for long-term basic and applied research on 
        high-performance computing;

          Provide for research and development on, and 
        demonstration of, technologies to advance the capacity and 
        capabilities of high-performance computing and networking 
        systems;

          Provide for sustained access by the research 
        community in the United States to high-performance computing 
        systems that are among the most advanced in the world in terms 
        of performance in solving scientific and engineering problems, 
        including provision for technical support for users of such 
        systems;

          Provide for efforts to increase software 
        availability, productivity, capability, security, portability, 
        and reliability;

          Provide for high-performance networks, including 
        experimental testbed networks, to enable research and 
        development on, and demonstration of, advanced applications 
        enabled by such networks;

          Provide for computational science and engineering 
        research on mathematical modeling and algorithms for 
        applications in all fields of science and engineering;

          Provide for the technical support of, and research 
        and development on, high-performance computing systems and 
        software required to address Grand Challenges;

          Provide for educating and training additional 
        undergraduate and graduate students in software engineering, 
        computer science, computer and network security, applied 
        mathematics, library and information science, and computational 
        science;

          Provide for improving the security of computing and 
        networking systems, including research required to establish 
        security standards and practices for these systems.

    Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology 
Policy (OSTP) to:

          Establish the goals and priorities for federal high-
        performance computing research, development, networking, and 
        other activities;

          Establish Program Component Areas that implement the 
        goals established for the Program and identify the Grand 
        Challenges that the Program should address;

          Provide for interagency coordination of federal high-
        performance computing research, development, networking, and 
        other activities undertaken pursuant to the Program;

          Develop and maintain a research, development, and 
        deployment roadmap for the provision of high-performance 
        computing systems for use by the research community in the 
        United States.

    Leaves substantially unchanged the provisions of the HPC Act 
requiring the Director of OSTP to:

          Provide an annual report to Congress, along with the 
        annual budget request, describing the implementation of the 
        Program, including current and proposed funding levels and 
        programmatic changes, if any, from the previous year;

          Consult with academic, State, and other appropriate 
        groups conducting research on and using high-performance 
        computing.

    Requires the Director of OSTP to include in his annual report to 
Congress:

          A detailed description of the Program Component 
        Areas, including a description of any changes in the definition 
        of activities under the Program Component Areas from the 
        previous year, and the reasons for such changes, and a 
        description of Grand Challenges supported under the Program;

          An analysis of the extent to which the Program 
        incorporates the recommendations of the Advisory Committee 
        established by section 101(b) of the HPC Act.

    Requires the Advisory Committee to conduct periodic evaluations of 
the funding, management, coordination, implementation, and activities 
of the Program, and to report to Congress once every two fiscal years, 
with the first report due within one year of enactment.

Sec. 2. Definitions

    Amends section 4 of the HPC Act to further elaborate on, or amend, 
the definition of terms used in the Act:

          ``Grand Challenge'' means a fundamental problem in 
        science or engineering, with broad economic and scientific 
        impact, whose solution will require the application of high-
        performance computing resources and multi-disciplinary teams of 
        researchers;

          ``High-performance computing'' means advanced 
        computing, communications, and information technologies, 
        including supercomputer systems, high-capacity and high-speed 
        networks, special purpose and experimental systems, 
        applications and systems software, and the management of large 
        data sets;

          ``Program'' means the High-Performance Computing 
        Research and Development Program described in section 101;

          ``Program Component Areas'' means the major subject 
        areas under which are grouped related individual projects and 
        activities carried out under the Program.
