High Performance Computing in North America

Abstract

The grand challenge problems of computational science and simulation (such as in the important areas of biotechnology and nanomaterials) require large scale computational facilities. The Canadian and US Federal governments have recognized the importance of these problems by investing a significant amount of resources into high performance computing and networking. For example, the new PACI (Partnerships for Advanced Computing Infrastructure) program of the NSF (National Science Foundation) has a goal of evolving the Internet into a National Technology Grid for the seamless and efficient solution of grand challenge problems. The role of the U. Ky. Center for Computational Sciences will be described. This will include its partnership within the National Computational Science Alliance (NCSA), and its imperatives of enhancing Computing Capability, Building the Grid and designing the Post-Web Environment.