SIA Applauds DOE Initiative to Advance U.S. Supercomputing Technology

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The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, design, and research, today released the following statement from president & CEO John Neuffer commending the U.S. Department of Energy’s announcement of new research funding to deploy America’s first exascale supercomputers. The public-private partnership, part of the PathForward program within DOE’s Exascale Computing Project, will allocate $258 million over three years to six U.S. tech companies, including SIA members AMD, IBM, and Intel. The companies will provide additional funding of at least 40 percent of the total project cost, bringing the total investment to at least $430 million.

“From curing diseases and making passenger jets safer to improving weather forecasts and developing new advanced manufacturing techniques, supercomputing enables countless breakthroughs that keep America strong, safe, competitive, and at the tip of the spear of innovation. The development of exascale supercomputers, many times faster than today’s top supercomputers, holds tremendous promise for a wide range of applications, including emerging areas like artificial intelligence and data analytics.

“While the United States currently leads the world in the application of supercomputing to real-world problems, China is home to the world’s two fastest supercomputers and other countries recently have made significant investments in supercomputing technology to bridge the gap. Without swift and determined action by policymakers to help advance supercomputing technology, the United States risks falling behind.

“DOE’s PathForward program will go a long way toward launching America’s first exascale supercomputers and strengthening U.S. economic and technological leadership.”

About SIA

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) is the voice of the U.S. semiconductor industry, one of America's top export industries and a key driver of America’s economic strength, national security, and global competitiveness. Semiconductors – microchips that control all modern electronics – enable the systems and products we use to work, communicate, travel, entertain, harness energy, treat illness, and make new scientific discoveries. The semiconductor industry directly employs nearly a quarter of a million people in the U.S. In 2016, U.S. semiconductor company sales totaled $164 billion, and semiconductors make the global trillion dollar electronics industry possible. SIA seeks to strengthen U.S. leadership of semiconductor manufacturing, design, and research by working with Congress, the Administration and other key industry stakeholders to encourage policies and regulations that fuel innovation, propel business and drive international competition. Learn more at www.semiconductors.org.