10 Year Plan of Platform Acquisitions

and Directions of Investment in Computing

The Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) program provides for the simulation capabilities at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s national laboratories to ensure a safe, secure and reliable nuclear weapons’ stockpile. Formerly know as the Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative (ASCI), the program has recently been transitioning from its initiative phase to a mature sustained program.

During the days of ASCI the program focused on creating and demonstrating that high- end computing could be beneficially used to tackle problems of interest to the nuclear weapons complex. Today the ASC program is building on the expertise gained during ASCI and is focusing on being able to predict with confidence the behavior of nuclear weapons through comprehensive, science-based simulations.

High-end computing remains at the heart of the ASC program. This talk describes our overall approach to acquiring platforms that meet the needs of the weapons community.