{"id":379,"date":"2025-05-14T12:24:05","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T12:24:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/karenbarnard.com\/?p=379"},"modified":"2025-06-11T13:23:04","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T13:23:04","slug":"challenges-to-high-performance-computing-threaten-us-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/karenbarnard.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/14\/challenges-to-high-performance-computing-threaten-us-innovation\/","title":{"rendered":"Challenges to high-performance computing threaten US innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/karenbarnard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/file-20250509-56-i9suzg.jpg\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Oak Ridge National Laboratory&#039;s Frontier supercomputer is one of the world&#039;s fastest.<\/span> <span class=\"attribution\"><a class=\"source\" href=\"https:\/\/flickr.com\/photos\/151938121@N02\/52117623843\">Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility<\/a>, <a class=\"license\" href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>High-performance computing, or HPC for short, might sound like something only scientists use in secret labs, but it\u2019s actually one of the most important technologies in the world today. From <a href=\"https:\/\/www.noaa.gov\/information-technology\/hpcc\">predicting the weather<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/978-1-0716-3449-3\">finding new medicines<\/a> and even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inria.fr\/en\/artificial-intelligence-high-performance-computing-digital-science\">training artificial intelligence<\/a>, high-performance computing systems help solve problems that are too hard or too big for regular computers.<\/p>\n<p>This technology has helped make huge discoveries in science and engineering over the past 40 years. But now, high-performance computing is at a turning point, and the choices the government, researchers and the technology industry make today could affect the future of innovation, national security and global leadership.<\/p>\n<p>High-performance computing systems are basically superpowerful computers made up of thousands or even millions of processors working together at the same time. They also use advanced memory and storage systems to move and save huge amounts of data quickly. <\/p>\n<p>With all this power, high-performance computing systems can run extremely detailed simulations and calculations. For example, they can simulate how a new drug interacts with the human body, or how a hurricane might move across the ocean. They\u2019re also used in fields such as automotive design, energy production and space exploration.<\/p>\n<p>Lately, high-performance computing has become even more important because of artificial intelligence. AI models, especially the ones used for things such as voice recognition and self-driving cars, require enormous amounts of computing power to train. High-performance computing systems are well suited for this job. As a result, AI and high-performance computing are now working closely together, pushing each other forward. <\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Livermore now home to world&#039;s fastest supercomputer, &quot;El Capitan&quot;\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jf3it4sR-s4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory\u2019s supercomputer El Capitan is currently the world\u2019s fastest.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I\u2019m a <a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?hl=en&amp;user=X4SbSTAAAAAJ&amp;view_op=list_works&amp;sortby=pubdate\">computer scientist<\/a> with a long career working in high-performance computing. I\u2019ve observed that high-performance computing systems are under more pressure than ever, with higher demands on the systems for speed, data and energy. At the same time, I see that high-performance computing faces some serious technical problems.<\/p>\n<h2>Technical challenges<\/h2>\n<p>One big challenge for high-performance computing is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microcontrollertips.com\/what-is-the-hpc-memory-wall-and-how-can-you-climb-over-it\/\">the gap<\/a> between how fast processors are and how well memory systems can keep up with the processors\u2019 output. Imagine having a superfast car but being stuck in traffic \u2013 it doesn\u2019t help to have speed if the road can\u2019t handle it. In the same way, high-performance computing processors often have to wait around because memory systems can\u2019t send data quickly enough. This makes the whole system less efficient.<\/p>\n<p>Another problem is energy use. Today\u2019s supercomputers use a huge amount of electricity, sometimes as much as a small town. That\u2019s expensive and not very good for the environment. In the past, as computer parts got smaller, they also used less power. But that trend, called <a href=\"https:\/\/semiengineering.com\/knowledge_centers\/standards-laws\/laws\/dennards-law\/\">Dennard scaling<\/a>, stopped in the mid-2000s. Now, making computers more powerful usually means they use more energy too. To fix this, researchers are looking for new ways to design both the hardware and the software of high-performance computing systems.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also a problem with the kinds of chips being made. The chip industry is mainly focused on AI, which works fine with lower-precision math like 16-bit or 8-bit numbers. But many scientific applications still need 64-bit precision to be accurate. The greater the bit count, the more digits to the right of the decimal point a chip can process, hence the greater precision. If chip companies stop making the parts that scientists need, then <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.17226\/12980\">it could become harder<\/a> to do important research.<\/p>\n<p>This report discusses how trends in semiconductor manufacturing and commercial priorities may diverge from the needs of the scientific computing community, and how a lack of tailored hardware could hinder progress in research.<\/p>\n<p>One solution might be to build custom chips for high-performance computing, but that\u2019s expensive and complicated. Still, researchers are exploring new designs, including chiplets \u2013 small chips that can be combined like Lego bricks \u2013 to make high-precision processors more affordable.<\/p>\n<h2>A global race<\/h2>\n<p>Globally, many countries are investing heavily in high-performance computing. Europe has the <a href=\"https:\/\/eurohpc-ju.europa.eu\/index_en\">EuroHPC program<\/a>, which is building supercomputers in places such as Finland and Italy. Their goal is to reduce dependence on foreign technology and take the lead in areas such as climate modeling and personalized medicine. Japan built the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.r-ccs.riken.jp\/en\/fugaku\/\">Fugaku supercomputer<\/a>, which supports both academic research and industrial work. China has also made major advances, using homegrown technology to build some of the world\u2019s fastest computers. All of these countries\u2019 governments understand that high-performance computing is key to their national security, economic strength and scientific leadership.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Race to Build the World\u2019s Fastest Supercomputers | WSJ U.S. vs. China\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_u4nGI3Ctr8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">The U.S.-China supercomputer rivalry explained.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The United States, which has been a leader in high-performance computing for decades, recently completed the Department of Energy\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.exascaleproject.org\/\">Exascale Computing Project<\/a>. This project created computers that can perform a billion billion operations per second. That\u2019s an incredible achievement. But even with that success, the U.S. still doesn\u2019t have a clear, long-term plan for what comes next. Other countries are moving quickly, and without a national strategy, the U.S. risks falling behind.<\/p>\n<p>I believe that a U.S. national strategy should include funding new machines and training for people to use them. It would also include partnerships with universities, national labs and private companies. Most importantly, the plan would focus not just on hardware but also on the software and algorithms that make high-performance computing useful.<\/p>\n<h2>Hopeful signs<\/h2>\n<p>One exciting area for the future is <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/what-is-quantum-advantage-a-quantum-computing-scientist-explains-an-approaching-milestone-marking-the-arrival-of-extremely-powerful-computers-213306\">quantum computing<\/a>. This is a completely new way of doing computation based on the laws of physics at the atomic level. Quantum computers could someday solve problems that are impossible for regular computers. But they are still in the early stages and are likely to complement rather than replace traditional high-performance computing systems. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to keep investing in both kinds of computing.<\/p>\n<p>The good news is that some steps have already been taken. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/house-bill\/4346\">CHIPS and Science Act<\/a>, passed in 2022, provides funding to expand chip manufacturing in the U.S. It also created an office to help turn scientific research into real-world products. The task force <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vastfuture.org\/\">Vision for American Science and Technology<\/a>, launched on Feb. 25, 2025, and led by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aaas.org\/\">American Association for the Advancement of Science<\/a> CEO Sudip Parikh, aims to marshal nonprofits, academia and industry to help guide the government\u2019s decisions. Private companies are also spending billions of dollars on data centers and AI infrastructure. <\/p>\n<p>All of these are positive signs, but they don\u2019t fully solve the problem of how to support high-performance computing in the long run. In addition to short-term funding and infrastructure investments, this means: <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Long-term federal investment in high-performance computing R&amp;D, including advanced hardware, software and energy-efficient architectures.<\/li>\n<li>Procurement and deployment of leadership-class computing systems at national labs and universities.<\/li>\n<li>Workforce development, including training in parallel programming, numerical methods and AI-HPC integration.<\/li>\n<li>Hardware road map alignment, ensuring commercial chip development remains compatible with the needs of scientific and engineering applications.<\/li>\n<li>Sustainable funding models that prevent boom-and-bust cycles tied to one-off milestones or geopolitical urgency.<\/li>\n<li>Public-private collaboration to bridge gaps between academic research, industry innovation and national security needs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>High-performance computing is more than just fast computers. It\u2019s the foundation of scientific discovery, economic growth and national security. With other countries pushing forward, the U.S. is under pressure to come up with a clear, coordinated plan. That means investing in new hardware, developing smarter software, <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/bringing-manufacturing-back-to-the-us-requires-political-will-but-success-hinges-on-training-american-workers-196194\">training a skilled workforce<\/a> and building partnerships between government, industry and academia. If the U.S. does that, the country can make sure high-performance computing continues to power innovation for decades to come.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/255188\/count.gif\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"fine-print\"><em><span>Jack Dongarra receives funding from the NSF and the DOE. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oak Ridge National Laboratory&#039;s Frontier supercomputer is one of the world&#039;s fastest. Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, CC BY High-performance computing, or HPC for short, might sound like something only scientists use in secret labs, but it\u2019s actually one of the most important technologies in the world today. From predicting the weather to finding new medicines and even training artificial intelligence, high-performance computing systems help solve problems that are too hard or too big for regular computers. This technology has &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/karenbarnard.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/14\/challenges-to-high-performance-computing-threaten-us-innovation\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Challenges to high-performance computing threaten US innovation&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/karenbarnard.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/karenbarnard.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/karenbarnard.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/karenbarnard.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/karenbarnard.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/karenbarnard.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":382,"href":"https:\/\/karenbarnard.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379\/revisions\/382"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/karenbarnard.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/karenbarnard.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/karenbarnard.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/karenbarnard.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}