The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) asked a group of eminent engineers and computer scientists to figure out how to get a thousandfold increase in supercomputing ability by 2015. The group, led by University of Notre Dame professor and IEEE Fellow Peter M. Kogge, found that if technology trends continue into the future, exascale computing will still be just a dream in 2015. According to the report, getting to exascale by then—or ever—requires among other things an intensive focus on reducing the power devoted to moving data around in computers. However, some critics point out that a similar report in the mid-1990s—predicting the technologies needed for petascale computing—has now proved to be off the mark. And some say the DARPA group did not properly consider new types of applications supercomputers will be running in the future. Kogge explains the report’s findings on Spectrum Radio at /dec08/scompod.
Enjoy more free content and benefits by creating an account
Saving articles to read later requires an IEEE Spectrum account
The Institute content is only available for members
Downloading full PDF issues is exclusive for IEEE Members
Access to Spectrum's Digital Edition is exclusive for IEEE Members
Following topics is a feature exclusive for IEEE Members
Adding your response to an article requires an IEEE Spectrum account
Create an account to access more content and features on IEEE Spectrum, including the ability to save articles to read later, download Spectrum Collections, and participate in conversations with readers and editors. For more exclusive content and features, consider Joining IEEE.
Join the world’s largest professional organization devoted to engineering and applied sciences and get access to all of Spectrum’s articles, archives, PDF downloads, and other benefits. Learn more →
CREATE AN ACCOUNTSIGN IN
Special offer: Join IEEE now for 2023 and save 50%!
IEEE Members receive 12 print issues of IEEE Spectrum and enjoy PDF downloads, full access to our archive with thousands of in-depth articles, and other exclusive content and features. Join IEEE today for 2023 and save 50%!
This article is for IEEE members only. Join IEEE to access our full archive.
Join the world’s largest professional organization devoted to engineering and applied sciences and get access to all of Spectrum’s articles, podcasts, and special reports. Learn more →
If you're already an IEEE member, please sign in to continue reading.
If you're already an IEEE member, please sign in to continue reading.
Membership includes:
- Get unlimited access to IEEE Spectrum content
- Follow your favorite topics to create a personalized feed of IEEE Spectrum content
- Save Spectrum articles to read later
- Network with other technology professionals
- Establish a professional profile
- Create a group to share and collaborate on projects
- Discover IEEE events and activities
- Join and participate in discussions