Since the World War II era, when scientists, mathematicians, and engineers began using revolutionary electronic machinery that could rapidly perform complex calculations in support of the war effort, pioneering computing capabilities have been a principal foundation of the nation`s technological and economic strength. Today, solving many of our most important scientific and engineering problems requires high-end computers...

The 2010 Report of the President`s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology PCAST, entitled ?Designing a Digital Future: Federally Funded Research and Development in Networking and Information Technology,? documents the transformation of our society driven by advances in networking and information technology, catalyzed by our nation`s past investments in research. Our world today relies to an astonishing degree on systems, tools, and services that belong to a vast and still growing domain known as Networking and Information Technology NIT...

The National Strategic Computing Initiative Update builds on the 2016 Strategic Computing Plan to enable focused and collaborative research, development, and deployment of future computing technologies to benefit the Nation. Realizing the successes of the National Strategic Computing Initiative to date, this update examines steps beyond those already implemented for realizing a computing ecosystem that combines heterogeneous computing systems (from extreme-scale to edge-centered systems and beyond) with the networking, hardware, software, data, and expertise required to support national security and defense as well as U.S. scientific, engineering, and economic leadership.

Powerful personal computers, high-bandwidth and wireless networking technologies, and the widespread use of the Internet have transformed stand-alone computing systems and predominantly closed networks into the virtually seamless fabric of today`s information technology IT infrastructure. This infrastructure provides for the processing, transmission, and storage of vast amounts of vital information used in virtually every facet of society, and it enables Federal agencies to routinely interact with each other as well as with industry, private citizens, state and local governments, and the governments of other nations...

Information technology IT computers, wired and wireless digital networks, electronic data and information, IT devices and systems, and software applications?today provides indispensable infrastructure for activities across all facets of society. Throughout the IT revolution, the United States has led the world in the invention and applications of these technologies. Ongoing research and development R and D to provide advanced IT capabilities for Federal missions has fueled the creation of new ideas, and innovations addressing key national priorities, including national security, national defense, economic prosperity, scientific discovery, energy and environment, health, individual privacy, and quality of life...

The December newsletter includes many interesting areas for you to explore: * SNIPPETS: These are short descriptions with corresponding links to what NITRD`s Federal agency members are doing in scientific computing technologies, including work to help fight COVID-19, which is causing the global pandemic; * TOPIC OF THE DAY: We examine supercomputers and how they are tackling unique problems. For example, supercomputers are a powerful new weapon against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the disease COVID-19; * AGENCY CORNER: The Department of Energy is often associated with supercomputers, our topic for this newsletter, so we highlight DOE`s work here; STEM & WORKFORCE CORNER: We present the Administration`s efforts to build a quantum workforce and support STEM education to support this goal; INNOVATION THROUGH NITRD: We introduce our readers to NITRD`s High End Computing Interagency Working Group, which coordinates Federal agency activities on computing technologies; EVENT HIGHLIGHTS: We present a workshop NITRD held on strategic computing; NITRD STAFF: We acquaint our readers with NITRD`s IT staff who have created new IT platforms and ensured NITRD`s virtual work is smooth sailing. We invite you to take a look at the transformative IT innovations that have found an important place in American life.

...rationalization and restructuring of computational science within universities and Federal agencies, and the development and maintenance of a multi-decade roadmap for computational science R and D investments.The report?s findings and recommendations were developed by the PITAC over a year of study. The Subcommittee was briefed by computational science experts in the Federal government, academia, and industry; reviewed the current literature; and obtained public input at PITAC meetings and a town hall meeting, and through written submissions...

...the U.S. Government makes critical decisions about appropriate investments in IT R and D to help society forward both socially and economically. To inform that decision-making, in July of 2003, a group of leading Government technical program managers who participate in the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development NITRD Program completed their formulation of 16 illustrative science, engineering, and societal grand challenges...

As required by statute, the President`s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) is tasked with periodically reviewing the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program, the Nation's primary source of federally funded research and development in advanced information technologies such as computing, networking, and software. This report examines the NITRD Program's progress since the last review was conducted in 2015, explores emerging areas of interest relevant to the NITRD Program, and presents PCAST's findings and recommendations.

... The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy then provided a formal charge, asking PITAC members to concentrate their efforts on the focus, balance, and affectiveness of current Federal cyber security research and development R and D activities see Appendix A. To conduct this examination, PITAC established the Subcommittee on Cyber Security, whose work culminated in this report, Cyber Security: A Crisis of Prioritization...