Proposed White House Budget Could Constrain HPC Procurements and Use in Key Agencies

The US White House recently released its proposed FY 2021 budget to Congress that seeks to impose a number of budget cuts on federal agencies, some of which are the largest purchasers and users of HPCs in the world. Notable reductions are proposed for NOAA (-31%), DOE’s Office of Science (-17%), and NASA (-11%).

• On the plus side, two new advanced computing technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum information science (QIS) are earmarked for near doublings in budget and are spread across a number of US government agencies.
• As has happened in the recent past, Congress will almost certainly increase funding levels for some critical R&D, but competing financial priorities driven by the covid-19 economic fallout could limit the ability of Congress to adjust funding levels for activities not directly linked to near-term covid-19 policies and programs.