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Obama's New Executive Order Says the US Must Build an Exascale Supercomputer

Posted by samzenpus on from the greased-lightning dept.

Jason Koebler writes: President Obama has signed an executive order authorizing a new supercomputing research initiative with the goal of creating the fastest supercomputers ever devised. The National Strategic Computing Initiative, or NSCI, will attempt to build the first ever exascale computer, 30 times faster than today's fastest supercomputer. Motherboard reports: "The initiative will primarily be a partnership between the Department of Energy, Department of Defense, and National Science Foundation, which will be designing supercomputers primarily for use by NASA, the FBI, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Homeland Security, and NOAA. Each of those agencies will be allowed to provide input during the early stages of the development of these new computers."

6 of 223 comments (clear)

  1. And the NSA? by Otome · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What would the existence of an exascale supercomputer mean for today's popular encryption/hashing algorithms?

  2. Likely a new gift for the NSA by mrflash818 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What would the existence of an exascale supercomputer mean for today's popular encryption/hashing algorithms?

    Exactly.

    My first thought was the new addition will be tasked by the NSA/FiveEyes to break encryption for intercepted communications.

    --
    Uh, Linux geek since 1999.
    1. Re: Likely a new gift for the NSA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      AC is angry at Obama because Obama put AC on a watch list? Which came first? Help me out here.

    2. Re:Likely a new gift for the NSA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      if the new computer is 30x faster than the fastest one currently deployed and in use.. you've got

      1x for weather (noaa),
      1x for health (nih),
      1x for science (nsf),
      1x for nasa, and
      1x for energy (doe);

      and each of those organizations will be thrilled at having the extra computational power.. that leaves the equivalent of 25 left over for the unconstitutional, illegal, and/or classified shit that they really want it for. the legitimate uses is what they use to sell it and justify its expense, while distracting everyone from what they're really going to use it for (i.e. its true intended purpose).

  3. Department of Homeland Security by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Who in their right minds would let these people near a computer? Please. Let them go back to what they excel at: stealing cameras out of our luggage and groping underage genitalia.

  4. This order is worthless without funding by acoustix · · Score: 3, Insightful

    He can attempt to mandate all he wants. Congress approves the budgets. And since we all know how well Obama has been submitting his budgets....

    --
    "A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson