The Future

When one looks to the East these days, Japan is not the only competitive nation on the landscape. The newly-industrializing countries (NICs) of East Asia (including Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea), while not known primarily for technological development, have exhibited proficiency in building components, peripherals, and systems of increasing complexity. It is not inconceivable that these countries will produce high-performance systems in the future. The NICs, however, unlike Japan, are not members of the Coordinating Committee of Export Controls. Worldwide availability of supercomputers from these countries could have a substantial impact on U.S. national security. If and when this time comes, the U.S. government should not be unprepared to address this matter.

In short, and in conclusion, both industry and government have a large stake in the continued health, if not dominance, of America's high-technology sectors, including the supercomputer industry. Both also have important roles to play to insure this continued health. Further, the industry and government need not work toward this goal in isolation from one another.