This paper discusses the research initiatives and programs supported by the National Science Foundation to promote high-end computing and largescale networking. This work mainly falls under the US interagency actvity called High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC). The paper describes the Federal geovernment context of HPCC, and the HPCC programs and their main accomplishemnts. Finally, it decribes the recommendations of a recent highlevel advisory committee on information technology, as these are likely to have a major impact on the future of government initiatives in high-end computing and networking.
S. Kamal Abdali