On June 16, 2016 the DOE Exascale Computing Project issued a RFP for Vendor node and system design R&D projects. Proposals were received on July 18, 2016. The PathForward RFP seeks hardware node and system design solutions that will improve application performance and developer productivity while maximizing energy efficiency and reliability of an exascale system. PathForward objectives are to support Hardware R&D that will:
- Substantially improve the competitiveness of the HPC exascale system proposals in 2019, where application performance figures of merit will be the most important criteria.
- Improve the Offeror’s confidence in the value and feasibility of aggressive advanced technology options that they are willing to propose for the HPC exascale system acquisitions.
- Identify the most promising technology options that would be included in 2019 proposals for the HPC exascale systems.
The current plan is for a six-lab ECP team to complete a review of the PathForward technical and cost proposals, and to complete source selection by mid-August.