Exascale computers are the world’s fastest supercomputers. They hold a performance of at least one exaflop, or one quintillion calculations per second. Combined with simulation, they are positioned to help tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges, which pertain to topics such as national security, climate, medicine, energy, and water.

Fish passage refers to the ability to effectively and efficiently allow fish to move through a water system, including successfully navigating human-made structures like dams and culverts, which can impede their journey.

At the intersection between quantum mechanics and computer and information science lies at quantum information science (QIS). QIS seeks to understand how information is processed and transmitted using quantum mechanical principles. It is the merger of quantum mechanics and information and computation theory. QIS comprises four major areas: quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing, and quantum foundational science.

Advanced computing testbeds, the proving grounds for new machines, are central to the development of next-generation computers. They allow researchers to explore a complex and non-linear design space and facilitate the evaluation of new computing technologies in terms of performance and efficiency on critical scientific workloads. These “laboratories of machines,” in which multiple components are available for experimentation, are critical to the next greatest advancements in computation.