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Ju AUSTRALIA

The Hon. Barry O. Jones Minister for Science, Customs and Small Business

File No.

CO M M O N W EA LTH   parliamentary LIBRARY

____ C .I.S .

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

22 JUNE 1988 92/88

NEW v SUPERCOMPUTERS'  WILL TRANSFORM LOCAL TECHNOLOGY

Australia must plan to make the best use of a new breed of

'supercomputer'  already here and destined to transform local

industry and technology, the Federal Minister for Science,

Customs and Small Business, Mr. Barry Jones, said today.

The Minister said the supercomputers were already being used to

model atmospheric conditions and in the exploration and

modelling of oilfields. They were the most powerful available

and were ten times faster than conventional machines.

The Minister was announcing the release by the Department of

Industry, Technology and Commerce of a paper on the new

supercomputers.

The paper says they are allowing rapid advances in understanding

the role and properties of atoms in extreme conditions as occur

in fusion plasmas, the structure and evolution of stars and

galaxies, the chemical reaction of molecules,  the interaction of

lasers and similar.

In Australia they will have a major impact on product

development in areas such as aeronautical and automobile design,

ship building and electronics.

. . . / 2

Ministry of Industry, Technology and Commerce

- 2-

The paper warns that industry may not be able to afford to buy

their own supercomputers because they cost from $5 to $20

million each. The high cost also means their purchase will need

to be carefully planned to ensure they are properly used and

supported.

The paper suggests three main options that could help those who

need access to these machines:

.  Â·  a national facility to give access to researchers

across the country

.  provision by the Government of information to

industry and research groups to stimulate the

use of the supercomputers

.  no government intervention - simply allow market

forces to operate.

The paper also suggests that governments need to assess what

they can do to ensure the nation gets maximum benefit from this

important new technology and any approach should:

.  provide Australian researchers with adequate access

to supercomputing facilities

.  ensure provision of a low cost,: efficient, effective and

user-friendly service .

.  Train people in supercomputing skills to assist ;

in the long-term use and application of the technology

.  encourage the development of supercomputing as a

design tool in engineering

.  take account of additional industrial needs.

The Minister said the paper has been released to promote further

discussion on how Australia can best take advantage of

supercomputing.

Copies are available from The Director, Science Policy,

Department of Industry, Technology and Commerce, GPO Box

9839,Canberra, act 2600.

CANBERRA Contact:

'  Jenny Jones

(062) 76 1196 (W)

(062) 47 2487 (H)

