Bringing Australia's supercomputing up to speed

In the 21st century, high-performance computing and data (HPCD), or supercomputers, is the cornerstone of global competitiveness, underpinning critical advancements in science, industry and society.

The problem

Australia has no plan for the next generation of supercomputing or to replace the computing infrastructure Australia currently relies on.

Australia’s HPCD infrastructure is of moderate capacity, oversubscribed and ageing and is no longer sufficient to meet the scientific and societal demands of the 21st century – risking sovereignty and economic competitiveness, limiting rapid responses to emergencies and exposing the nation to national security risks.

• Outdated HPCD hinders rapid data processing, necessary for AI applications, advanced manufacturing and quantum computing. This delays the development and deployment of high-value technologies, limiting job creation opportunities and increasing operational costs, ultimately slowing economic growth.
• Without updated HPCD infrastructure, the government will be slower to respond to public health crises, extreme weather events and energy needs, affecting Australians’ safety and wellbeing.
• Supercomputers are key for defence scenario simulations, detecting cyber threats and securing critical infrastructure. Outdated HPCD infrastructure may affect Australia’s ability to respond effectively to security risks, leaving the nation unprepared when new critical technologies emerge and more vulnerable to cyberattacks and threats.

The proposal

Without a national strategy to acquire and sustain next-generation HPCD for our science sector, Australia will fall behind peer countries. Our sovereignty will be at risk, our ability to innovate and tackle emerging societal challenges will be limited and we will put our future prosperity and security at risk.

Within six months, a long-term national HPCD strategy and roadmap should be prepared to identify the means to build national capacity, with targeted investment in next-generation HPCD infrastructure. This strategy and investment would be directed towards:

• upgrading and expanding national (Tier-1) and institutional (Tier-2) facilities, ensuring they are equipped to meet the growing demands of advanced research and societal needs
• coordination and co-investment in a regional (Tier-0) supercomputing facility to acquire, deploy and operate next-generation exascale infrastructure
• sector coordination, collaboration and planning across industries and institutions to improve integrationof data and computing resources, ensuring co-location of data storage and processing, which will reduce latency and optimise efficiency
• HPC-powered emerging technologies, including AI and quantum computing, to accelerate scientific development and breakthroughs
• developing international partnerships for AI and exascale high-performance computing with like-minded countries.