IDC Receives DOE Grant to Create Models for Predicting ROI in High Performance Computing
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science and National Nuclear Security Agency have awarded International Data Corporation (IDC) a grant to develop the first economic models for predicting returns on investments (ROI) in high performance computing (HPC) and for predicting innovation from HPC, IDC announced.
The eight-month grant calls for IDC to create and test two new models:
• A macroeconomic model that depicts how HPC investments result in economic advancements
• An innovation index that provides a means for measuring and comparing innovation levels among nations based on their levels of applying HPC computing resources toward scientific, technological and economic advancement.
“Nations and companies around the world increasingly recognize that HPC contributes enormously to science, industrial competitiveness, national security and the quality of human life,” according to Earl Joseph, program vice president, High Performance Computing at IDC. “But, beyond a few dozen shining examples, these contributions have not been quantified and compared with the investments that made them possible. We are aiming to create ROI models that governments, universities and companies can use to help justify future HPC funding and purchasing decisions.”
The predictive models will take into consideration how research and development investments are currently justified and how results are measured in each of the government, academic and industry market segments IDC has closely tracked for more than two decades.
“We are well-aware that creating these economic models is a multi-dimensional problem that requires a multi-dimensional solution,” said Steve Conway, research vice president, High Performance Computing at IDC. “To help keep us grounded throughout this project, we will form an advisory group that includes one or more respected experts from each major HPC market segment. Our goal for this grant award is to develop predictive models that correlate well with real-world practices and with a wide range of sample data representing real-world innovations.”
The third key member of the IDC team, Chirag DeKate, research manager, High Performance Systems, noted that, in a worldwide IDC study, 97 percent of the companies that adopted HPC said they now consider it indispensable for their ability to compete and survive. He said some countries and regions are putting in place aggressive plans to gain leadership in innovation and economic progress by more broadly applying HPC.
About IDC
International Data Corporation (IDC) is a global provider of market intelligence, advisory services and events for the information technology, telecommunications and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives and the investment community to make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global, regional and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries.
