To amend the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991.

Summary: Amends the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 to revise program requirements for the National High-Performance Computing Program.

Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to: (1) establish the goals and priorities for federal high-performance computing research, development, networking, and other activities; (2) establish Program Component Areas that implement such goals and identify the Grand Challenges (i.e., fundamental problems in science or engineering, with broad economic and scientific impact, whose solutions will require the application of high-performance computing resources) that the Program should address; and (3) develop and maintain a research, development, and deployment road map for the provision of high-performance computing systems.

Revises requirements for annual reports by requiring that such reports: (1) describe Program Component Areas, including any changes in the definition of or activities under such Areas and the reasons for such changes, and describe Grand Challenges supported under the Program; (2) describe the levels of Federal funding and the levels proposed for each Program Component Area; (3) describe the levels of Federal funding for each agency and department participating in the Program for each such Area; and (4) include an analysis of the extent to which the Program incorporates the recommendations of the advisory committee on high-performance computing. Eliminates the requirement for inclusion of reports on Department of Energy activities taken to carry out the National High-performance Computing Program.

Requires the advisory committee on high-performance computing to conduct periodic evaluations of the funding, management, coordination, implementation, and activities of the Program, and to report at least once every two fiscal years to specified congressional committees. Prohibits applying provisions for the termination, renewal, and continuation of federal advisory committees under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to such advisory committee.

SECTION 1. HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

    Title I of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 
5511 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) in the title heading, by striking ``AND THE NATIONAL 
        RESEARCH AND EDUCATION NETWORK'' and inserting ``RESEARCH AND 
        DEVELOPMENT'';
            (2) in section 101(a)--
                    (A) by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B) of 
                paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
            ``(A) provide for long-term basic and applied research on 
        high-performance computing;
            ``(B) provide for research and development on, and 
        demonstration of, technologies to advance the capacity and 
        capabilities of high-performance computing and networking 
        systems;
            ``(C) provide for sustained access by the research 
        community in the United States to high-performance computing 
        systems that are among the most advanced in the world in terms 
        of performance in solving scientific and engineering problems, 
        including provision for technical support for users of such 
        systems;
            ``(D) provide for efforts to increase software 
        availability, productivity, capability, security, portability, 
        and reliability;
            ``(E) provide for high-performance networks, including 
        experimental testbed networks, to enable research and 
        development on, and demonstration of, advanced applications 
        enabled by such networks;
            ``(F) provide for computational science and engineering 
        research on mathematical modeling and algorithms for 
        applications in all fields of science and engineering;
            ``(G) provide for the technical support of, and research 
        and development on, high-performance computing systems and 
        software required to address Grand Challenges;
            ``(H) provide for educating and training additional 
        undergraduate and graduate students in software engineering, 
        computer science, computer and network security, applied 
        mathematics, library and information science, and computational 
        science; and
            ``(I) provide for improving the security of computing and 
        networking systems, including Federal systems, including 
        research required to establish security standards and practices 
        for these systems.'';
                    (B) by striking paragraph (2) and redesignating 
                paragraphs (3) and (4) as paragraphs (2) and (3), 
                respectively;
                    (C) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated by 
                subparagraph (B) of this paragraph--
                            (i) by striking subparagraph (B);
                            (ii) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and 
                        (C) as subparagraphs (D) and (F), respectively;
                            (iii) by inserting before subparagraph (D), 
                        as so redesignated by clause (ii) of this 
                        subparagraph, the following new subparagraphs:
            ``(A) establish the goals and priorities for Federal high-
        performance computing research, development, networking, and 
        other activities;
            ``(B) establish Program Component Areas that implement the 
        goals established under subparagraph (A), and identify the 
        Grand Challenges that the Program should address;
            ``(C) provide for interagency coordination of Federal high-
        performance computing research, development, networking, and 
        other activities undertaken pursuant to the Program;''; and
                            (iv) by inserting after subparagraph (D), 
                        as so redesignated by clause (ii) of this 
                        subparagraph, the following new subparagraph:
            ``(E) develop and maintain a research, development, and 
        deployment roadmap for the provision of high-performance 
        computing systems under paragraph (1)(C); and''; and
                    (D) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated by 
                subparagraph (B) of this paragraph--
                            (i) by striking ``paragraph (3)(A)'' and 
                        inserting ``paragraph (2)(D)'';
                            (ii) by amending subparagraph (A) to read 
                        as follows:
            ``(A) provide a detailed description of the Program 
        Component Areas, including a description of any changes in the 
        definition of or activities under the Program Component Areas 
        from the preceding report, and the reasons for such changes, 
        and a description of Grand Challenges supported under the 
        Program;'';
                            (iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
                        ``specific activities'' and all that follows 
                        through ``the Network'' and inserting ``each 
                        Program Component Area'';
                            (iv) in subparagraph (D), by inserting 
                        ``and for each Program Component Area'' after 
                        ``participating in the Program'';
                            (v) in subparagraph (D), by striking 
                        ``applies;'' and inserting ``applies; and'';
                            (vi) by striking subparagraph (E) and 
                        redesignating subparagraph (F) as subparagraph 
                        (E); and
                            (vii) in subparagraph (E), as so 
                        redesignated by clause (vi) of this 
                        subparagraph, by inserting ``and the extent to 
                        which the Program incorporates the 
                        recommendations of the advisory committee 
                        established under subsection (b)'' after ``for 
                        the Program'';
            (3) by striking subsection (b) of section 101 and inserting 
        the following:
    ``(b) Advisory Committee.--(1) The President shall establish an 
advisory committee on high-performance computing consisting of non-
Federal members, including representatives of the research, education, 
and library communities, network providers, and industry, who are 
specially qualified to provide the Director with advice and information 
on high-performance computing. The recommendations of the advisory 
committee shall be considered in reviewing and revising the Program. 
The advisory committee shall provide the Director with an independent 
assessment of--
            ``(A) progress made in implementing the Program;
            ``(B) the need to revise the Program;
            ``(C) the balance between the components of the Program, 
        including funding levels for the Program Component Areas;
            ``(D) whether the research and development undertaken 
        pursuant to the Program is helping to maintain United States 
        leadership in high-performance computing and networking 
        technology; and
            ``(E) other issues identified by the Director.
    ``(2) In addition to the duties outlined in paragraph (1), the 
advisory committee shall conduct periodic evaluations of the funding, 
management, coordination, implementation, and activities of the 
Program, and shall report not less frequently than once every two 
fiscal years to the Committee on Science of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate on its findings and recommendations. The 
first report shall be due within one year after the date of enactment 
of this paragraph.
    ``(3) Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act shall not 
apply to the advisory committee established by this subsection.''; and
            (4) in section 101(c)(1)(A), by striking ``Program or'' and 
        inserting ``Program Component Areas or''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    Section 4 of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 
5503) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``and multidisciplinary 
        teams of researchers'' after ``high-performance computing 
        resources'';
            (2) in paragraph (3)--
                    (A) by striking ``scientific workstations,'';
                    (B) by striking ``(including vector supercomputers 
                and large scale parallel systems)'';
                    (C) by striking ``and applications'' and inserting 
                ``applications''; and
                    (D) by inserting ``, and the management of large 
                data sets'' after ``systems software'';
            (3) in paragraph (4), by striking ``packet switched'';
            (4) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (5);
            (5) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (6) and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (6) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(7) `Program Component Areas' means the major subject 
        areas under which are grouped related individual projects and 
        activities carried out under the Program.''.

            Passed the House of Representatives March 12, 2007.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.