Supercomputing partnership to boost UK and US economies

On 29 August, I had the privilege of attending a ceremony commemorating the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Hartree Centre (HC) and US Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) in the area of high performance computing (HPC). This MOU, signed by LLNL Director Parney Albright and STFC Chief Executive John Womersley, provides a vehicle for technical and business development exchanges between LLNL’s High Performance Computing Innovation Center (HPIPC) and the Hartree Centre, as well as to expand industry’s use of supercomputing in an effort to boost economic competitiveness in the two countries. Current projections predict that if the pace of development in this field continues to ramp up the way that it has been, successful exploitation of HPC could generate up to £25 billion each year for the UK economy by 2020.

Additionally, the partnership has received high level government support from both sides of the Atlantic. Rt Hon David Willetts, UK Minister for Universities and Science and Bruce Held, Acting Administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have both praised the initiative.  Minister Willetts shared his view on the MOU by commenting on HPC’s potential to speed up innovation of products and services that could be used to address global challenges; he used the examples of climate prediction and disease detection as two areas that could be significantly impacted by the development of this technology. Minister Willetts also made sure to emphasize the fact that this MOU will greatly progress the big data revolution, one of the Eight Great Technologies, helping propel the UK to future growth in this field. Held commented on the impact it will have on matters of security and economic cooperation.

For some background, high performance computing or ‘supercomputing’ refers to the leading edge of current computational capabilities, particularly the speed at which calculations can be carried out. HPC mitigates the challenges often faced when using an individual microprocessor by employing a technique known as ‘parallel processing’ which involves multiple processors work alongside each other operating as a single system – and when I say ‘multiple‘ I mean potentiallymillions of processors working simultaneously to undertake complex problems and calculations. HPC has already had an immense impact the world of science and engineering by facilitating innovation in products and services as well as addressing some of the global challenges of our age. One of the most exciting things about this innovation is that we’re only just beginning to unlock its potential. To put it simply, HPC is paving the way for even more impactful solutions to challenges faced around the world.

HM Consul General Priya Guha of my home post in San Francisco also attended the event and gave the opening address of the ceremony. Her speech highlighted the unique relationship between the UK and US in the fields of science and technology with a special mention of the US Science and Innovation Network’s contribution to the relationship between the two countries. Not to blow the San Francisco S&I team’s trumpet, but this MOU follows a S&I-supported visit by LLNL representatives to the Hartree Centre in January this year during which both parties identified areas of synergy and agreed to work towards an MOU. Coincidence? I think not.

The UK has recognised the enormous potential of HPC as evidenced by its inclusion in Minister David Willetts’ Eight Great Technologies. As he puts it in his Policy Exchange paper on the Eight Great, “business says we have to out-compute to out-compete.” This MOU between these two supercomputing centres is significant step into the future of high performance computing and unlocking the potential of this innovative technology.