Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles has officially launched an advanced supercomputing capability at the Edinburgh Defence Precinct in Edinburgh, South Australia.
The first of its kind in the country, the state-of-the-art high performance computing capability is up to a million times faster than a standard computer.
Thanks to its high-speed capabilities, Defence scientists will be able to analyse large data sets and rapidly perform complex calculations to tackle some of the department’s most challenging scientific and engineering problems.
“Defence’s supercomputing capability will play a vital role in the design, development and analysis of modern weapon systems and national security systems, and will be critical in supporting key AUKUS priorities including nuclear-powered submarines, quantum technologies and artificial intelligence,” Minister Marles said in a media release.
“The high performance computing capability not only provides Australia with a sovereign capability that allows us to pursue activities in our national interest, but it also gives us a strong foundation for even closer collaboration with partner nations.”
It is expected that the advanced supercomputing capability will drive the development of disruptive solutions in the department. Following the launch, Defence is currently recruiting to increase the workforce that will support the capability.
“For much of the work done by our Defence scientists, data is critical. But even more important than the data itself, is the ability to rapidly and reliably analyse and process that data,” Minister Marles said.
“This high performance computing facility provides a secure and sovereign capability to do just that.”
The Minister stated that Defence acknowledges the assistance provided by representatives of the US Department of Defense’s High Performance Computing Modernization Program, who willingly shared their 30 years of knowledge and experience to support Australia’s work to establish the advanced supercomputing capability.
Source: Inside Government NZ. Content has been edited for style and length.