ACADEMIA

The Howard Baker Forum announced the launch of a new website HPC for Energy: Advancing Energy Technologies Through High Performance Computing. The site, www.hpc4energy.org , is a clearinghouse and one-stop shop for energy technology businesses interested in leveraging high-performance computing (HPC) and the expertise of the national laboratories to advance the commercialization of their new products.

The website will feature success stories by leaders in energy technology and describe successful partnerships between private industry and national laboratories. The site's mission is to bring business leaders, research institutions, and computing professionals together to discover the impact of high-performance computing on entrepreneurship and innovation.

HPC for Energy is an extension of the on-going program entitled the National Roadmap for Advancing Energy Technologies launched in May 2011 in Washington, D.C., at a national summit hosted by the Howard Baker Forum, the Bipartisan Policy Center, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The U.S. Chamber's Institute for 21st Century Energy, the Council on Competitiveness, the American Energy Innovation Council, the National Venture Capital Association, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Science Coalition co-sponsored the event. These partners produced an actionable, national roadmap for advancing energy technologies through the application of HPC modeling and simulation.

The National Roadmap for Advancing Energy Technologies calls for a series of events around the country to identify challenges and opportunities facing domestic energy companies, a pilot energy incubator program conducted by the national laboratory, and an interactive website to communicate the opportunities to leverage America's HPC assets.

Senator Howard Baker, Chairman of the Howard Baker Forum, observed, "In an increasingly competitive world, the United States must encourage innovation to maintain and, in some cases, reclaim our technological lead in the world economy. One way to accomplish this goal is for the private sector to leverage the extraordinary assets, especially high-performance computing, that reside in our national laboratories. The HPC for Energy website provides a valuable gateway for the private sector to do so."

"The launch of HPC for Energy is a critical step on the road to competitiveness, innovation and the advance of energy technologies," says Dr. Tomas Diaz de la Rubia, Deputy Director for Science and Technology at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. "The new website will serve as a vital portal for entrepreneurs, startups and technology companies large and small seeking to take advantage of the extraordinary computing and modeling capabilities of our national laboratories making our nation more innovative and more competitive."