Pentagon pours $53.1 million into military supercomputer research

U.S. military researchers announced an investment of $53.1 million into a U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) program to enhance high-performance computing (HPC), or supercomputer technology, for advanced research work. Officials of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Huntsville, Ala., announced three separate contracts to two supercomputer companies to acquire commercially available high-performance computing systems for the DOD's High Performance Computing Modernization program. Cray Inc. in Seattle won a $26.6 million contract, while Silicon Graphics Federal LLC in Annapolis Junction, Md., won separate $17.6 million and $8.9 million contracts - all for purchase of high-performance computing systems, administration, and maintenance. The DOD's High Performance Computing Modernization program operates five DOD Supercomputing Resource Centers (DSRCs), located at the Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center in Vicksburg, Miss.; the Army Research Laboratory in Aberdeen, Md.; the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command at Stennis Space Center, Miss.; and at Air Force Research Laboratory facilities in Maui, Hawaii and Dayton, Ohio.