{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr874-114/featured_american-super-computing-leadership-act-1454547465.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr874-114/featured_large_american-super-computing-leadership-act-1454547465.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr874-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-02-11","title_override":"Does The U.S. Need To Build The Ultimate Super Computer?","summary_override":"

This act would authorize the development of more powerful computing systems for advanced U.S. scientific and engineering research.

Specifically, the Department of Energy (DOE) would create an “exascale computing system.” Exascale systems increase a computer's processing power one thousandfold (compared to current petascale computers). For context, this is a level of computer processing that is close to the level of neural activity in the human brain.

To create this system, the Secretary of Energy would be required to:

Coordinate the creation of an advanced computing system for the DOE, used to integrate research and development projects.
Partner with universities and labs dedicated to scientific, medical and industrial research, as well as integrate research between DOE labs.
Conduct research into technologies that reduce power needs for computers, and that improve memory, storage space, and bandwidth.
Co-design activities to advance exascale computing platforms. In plain English, this means developing the algorithms, codes and computer technology that would form the body of an exascale system.
Green light any software or hardware upgrades needed to produce a practical exascale system.
Write a plan for Congress before beginning the first phase of the project. This should include cost projections, technical challenges, and an assessment of the scientific advancements that can be expected from investing in an exascale system.

","official_title":"To amend the Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004 to improve the high-end computing research and development program of the Department of Energy, and for other purposes.","short_title":"American Super Computing Leadership Act","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)\n\nAmerican Super Computing Leadership Act \n\n (Sec. 3) Amends the Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004 with respect to: (1) exascale computing (computing system performance at or near 10 to the 18th power floating point operations per second), and (2) a high-end computing system with performance substantially exceeding that of systems commonly available for advanced scientific and engineering applications.\n\nDirects the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to: (1) coordinate the development of high-end computing systems across DOE; (2) partner with universities, National Laboratories, and industry to ensure the broadest possible application of the technology developed in the program to other challenges in science, engineering, medicine, and industry; and (3) include among the multiple architectures researched, at DOE discretion, any computer ...","summarized":true,"cost":105000000,"cost_commentary":"Under current efforts to research and develop high-end computing systems, the Advanced Scientific Computing Research program (an arm of the Dept. of Energy’s Office of Science) has $105 million for 2015 efforts to develop exascale computing. The CBO found that this bill would not result in a significant expansion of current exascale research and development activities.","impact":"American universities, computing industries, The Department of Energy, and current supercomputers. ","argument_for":"America’s computing power is stagnant. Building a exascale system will have major benefits for national security, health care, engineering and other fields of science — bringing the U.S. back to its rightful place as the world's supercomputing innovator. 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Legislation can relate to regulating public utilities and utility rates, lighting and heating and the auto industry. ","page_title":"Federal legislation related to producing energy for the US - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/energy/black_energy-1429042038.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/energy/grey_energy-1429042038.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/energy/white_energy-1429042038.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"science-and-technology","name":"Science and Technology","slug":"science-and-technology","description":"US Congressional Legislation related scientific endeavors and technology, including: research, space-flight and exploration, the Internet, Telecom, and more. Recent legislation dealt with net neutrality, and the robotic exploration of Mars by NASA.","page_title":"Science and Technology Legislation funding research, NASA and more - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/science-and-technology/black_science-and-technology-1429042045.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/science-and-technology/grey_science-and-technology-1429042045.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/science-and-technology/white_science-and-technology-1429042045.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"Luke","vote_count":789,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/0mLpz4mn/following","followers":"/api/users/0mLpz4mn/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":0,"is_following":null,"influence_score":250,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":5,"following_count":7,"position_count":97,"id":"0mLpz4mn","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"39428932-f3d3-463b-b749-4b007965cd12","argument_for":null,"argument_against":"Our government is to irresponsible and inefficient right now to take on a project like this right now, let the private sector do it.","show_argument_for":false,"show_argument_against":true,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":null,"upvotes_against_count":0,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/39428932-f3d3-463b-b749-4b007965cd12"},"body":"Our government is to irresponsible and inefficient right now to take on a project like this right now, let the private sector do it.","stance":"nay","created_at":"2015-05-27T18:21:20.492Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/39428932-f3d3-463b-b749-4b007965cd12.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"hr874-114","user_id":"0mLpz4mn","endorser_ids":[]}}

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Does The U.S. Need To Build The Ultimate Super Computer?