INDUSTRY

High performance computing is central to the future of a science-driven economy, according to Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, who recently co-sponsored a resolution supporting Oak Ridge National Laboratory's goal to boost its technological capabilities. Billy Stair, a spokesman for ORNL, said the resolution supports the plan to house the world's fastest supercomputer. Sponsored by Bredesen and Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, the resolution was adopted during a recent meeting of Southern governors in Washington, D.C. and carries the support of close to a dozen governors. With the resolution, the Southern Governors' Association is sending a message to Congress and the executive branch to provide financial support for high performance computing initiatives. "High performance computing is central to the future of the science driven economy of the South, especially in the areas of bioinformatics and computational biology, climate and carbon systems modeling, and nanoscience modeling," the resolution states. According to the Southern Governors' Association, a high performance supercomputer network grid can foster tremendous research and development opportunities for universities and federal research labs throughout the South. Stair said ORNL is working on a proposal to build what he described as a "leadership class computer." The proposals must be submitted to the Department of Energy by April 2, with the federal government deciding afterward which team would get the computer project.