[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 118, 108th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

118 STAT. 2400

Public Law 108-423
108th Congress

An Act


 
To require the Secretary of Energy to carry out a program of research
and development to advance high-end computing. NOTE: Nov. 30,
2004 -  [H.R. 4516]

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in NOTE: Department of Energy High-End
Computing Revitalization Act of 2004. Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. NOTE: 15 USC 5501 note. SHORT TITLE.

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

SEC. 2. NOTE: 15 USC 5541. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) Center.--The term ``Center'' means a High-End Software
Development Center established under section 3(d).
(2) 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.
(3) 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.
(4) 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)).
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Energy, acting through the Director of the Office of Science
of the Department of Energy.

SEC. 3. NOTE: 15 USC 5542. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY HIGH-END COMPUTING
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

(a) In General.--The Secretary shall--
(1) carry out a program of research and development
(including development of software and hardware) to advance
high-end computing systems; and
(2) develop and deploy high-end computing 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;

[[Page 2401]]
118 STAT. 2401

(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 of 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 Nuclear Security Administration, the
National Security Agency, the National Institutes of Health, the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Institutes
of Standards and Technology, and the Environmental Protection
Agency.

NOTE: Establishment. (c) Leadership Systems Facilities.--
(1) In general.--As part of the program carried out under
this Act, the Secretary shall establish and operate 1 or more
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 to Leadership Systems, on a competitive,
merit-reviewed basis, access to researchers in United States
industry, institutions of higher education, national
laboratories, and other Federal agencies.

NOTE: Establishment. (d) High-End Software Development
Center.--
(1) In general.--As part of the program carried out under
this Act, the Secretary shall establish at least 1 High-End
Software Development Center.
(2) Duties.--A Center shall concentrate efforts to develop,
test, maintain, and support optimal algorithms, programming
environments, tools, languages, and operating systems for high-
end computing systems.
(3) Proposals.--In soliciting proposals for the Center, the
Secretary shall encourage staffing arrangements that include
both permanent staff and a rotating staff of researchers from
other institutions and industry to assist in coordination of
research efforts and promote technology transfer to the private
sector.
(4) Use of expertise.--The Secretary shall use the expertise
of a Center to assess research and development in high-end
computing system architecture.
(5) Selection.--The selection of a Center shall be
determined by a competitive proposal process administered by the
Secretary.

[[Page 2402]]
118 STAT. 2402

SEC. 4. NOTE: 15 USC 5543. 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. 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) in subsection (a) and paragraphs (1) and (2) of
subsection (b), by striking ``and the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration'' and inserting ``, the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Department of
Energy'';
(2) in subsection (b)(3), by striking ``Administration,
and'' and inserting ``Administration, the Secretary of Energy,
'';
(3) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraphs (1) and (2), by striking ``5'' and
inserting ``4'';
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' at the
end;
(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:
``(3) 3 members selected by the Secretary of Energy; 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
that engage in related research activities''.

(b) Effective Date.--The NOTE: 42 USC 1862-9 note. amendments
made by subsection (a) take effect on March 15, 2005.

SEC. 6. REMOVAL OF SUNSET PROVISION FROM SAVINGS IN CONSTRUCTION ACT OF
1996.

Section 14 of the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 (15 U.S.C. 205l) is
amended by striking subsection (e).

Approved November 30, 2004.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 4516:
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HOUSE REPORTS: No. 108-578 (Comm. on Science).
SENATE REPORTS: No. 108-379 (Comm. on Energy and Natural Resources).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 150 (2004):
July 7, considered and passed House.
Oct. 10, considered and passed Senate, amended.
Nov. 17, House concurred in Senate amendment.