EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT 

 OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY 



WASHINGTON, DC. 20506 



MEMBERS OF CONGRESS: 



I am pleased to forward with this letter "High Performance Computing and Communications: 

 Toward a National Information Infrastructure" prepared by the Committee on Physical, 

 Mathematical, and Engineering Sciences (CPMES) of the Federal Coordinating Council for 

 Science, Engineering, and Technology (FCCSET), to supplement the President's Fiscal Year 

 1994 Budget. This report describes the FCCSET Initiative in High Performance Computing and 

 Communications. 



The interagency HPCC Initiative is developing computing, communications, and software 

 technologies for the 21st century. It is making progress toward providing the high performance 

 computing and communications capabilities and advanced software needed in critical research 

 and development programs. The HPCC Program is fully supportive of and coordinated with the 

 emerging National Information Infrastructure (NH) Initiative, which is part of the President's and 

 Vice President's Technology Initiative released February 22, 1993. 



To enable the NH Initiative to build on the HPCC Program, the FCCSET CPMES High 

 Performance Computing, Communications and Information Technology (HPCCIT) Subcommittee 

 has included a new program component. Information Infrastructure Technology and Applications 

 (IITA). It will provide for research and development needed to a address National Challenges, 

 and it will also address problems where the application of HPCC technology can provide huge 

 benefits to America. Working with industry, the participating agencies will develop and apply 

 high performance computing and communications technologies to improve information systems 

 for National Challenges in areas such as health care, design and manufacturing, the environment, 

 public access to government information, education, digital libraries, energy management, public 

 safety, and national security. IITA will support the development of 'the Nil and the 

 development of the computer, network, and software technologies needed to provide appropriate 

 privacy and security protection for users. 



The coordination and integration of the interagency research and development strategy for this 

 Initiative and its coordination with other interagency FCCSET Initiatives has been led very ably 

 by the CPMES and its HPCCIT Subcommittee. Donald A. B. Lindberg, Chair of the HPCCIT 

 Subcommittee, his interagency colleagues, their associates, and staff are to be commended for 

 their efforts in the Initiative itself and in this report. 



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