merits for mass storage - from storing library information to storing remotely sensed satel- 

 lite imagery. 



J Evolving advanced component technology is being employed in early experimental computer 

 systems. This technology will form the basis for a new generation of higher performance, physi- 

 cally smaller, and more affordable computing systems. Examples include the following: 



- Single chip nodes that integrate processing, storage and communications, new systems soft- 

 ware, and new development environments, have been demonstrated. These have the poten- 

 tial of providing very cost-etTective scalable computing using these single chip or fine 

 grained nodes. 



- Multichip modules are being studied in experiments to determine the optimal design for 

 future scalable units. 



^ Supporting technologies that enable the rapid design, prototyping, and manufacturing of HPCS 

 systems have made an important contribution to HPCS progress. Examples of rapid prototyping 

 facilities u.sed by researchers include: 



- A laser direct write multichip module tool and associated design capability has been devel- 

 oped to reduce the prototyping time of new modules from months to two weeks. This 

 enables designs to be developed more rapidly, and allows for the exploration of more effec- 

 tive and cost-effective alternatives. 



- New algorithms have been incorporated into design systems that extend synthesis to be 

 applied to new technologies such as field programmable gate arrays and various integrated 

 circuit technologies. 



- A model "factory of the future," linking advanced design technologies from workstations to 

 large scalable computing, was completed and coupled to a prototype factory (described on 

 pages 152-153 in the Case Studies section). These technologies form the basis of a new 

 generation of computational prototyping, exploiting networked and distributed design pro- 

 cesses for rapidly prototyping future generations. 



-I New competitive contractual mechanisms have been developed to enable the timely purchase of 

 experimental systems. These joint government-industry research projects allow experimental 

 use and early evaluation by a variety of user communities, which in turn provides early feedback 

 to the hardware vendors and to developers of associated software technology. Such projects 

 accelerate the maturation of these complex technologies in preparation for their larger scale use 

 by the ASTA component. 



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