U.S. biodefense capabilities have received a major upgrade in the form of a new supercomputer and a Rapid Response Laboratory (RRL).
The supercomputer uses the same AMD MI300A processors found in LLNL's exascale supercomputer, El Capitan, which is scheduled for completion later this year.
The U.S. government hopes its new biodefense supercomputer and RRL will help improve military and civilian research and defenses against biological threats.
Supercomputer for biodefense
“Some of [the] “The countermeasures that we're going to develop in this unique environment are going to be extremely important because we're talking about solutions that can be deployed in a matter of days, if not hours. This computing power is going to be something that we're going to use on a regular basis,” said Darryl Colvin, executive director of the joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense program.
The supercomputer will use a variety of technologies to enhance defenses, including AI modeling, simulations, threat classification, and medical countermeasure development in combination with the RRL.
While the supercomputer will be available for use by other government agencies, academia, industry and allies, the RRL will help bolster the Department of Defense Chemical and Biological Defense Program’s Generative Unconstrained Intelligent Drug Engineering (GUIDE) program.
Ian Watson, Department of Defense Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Chemical and Biological Defense, said: “Exascale supercomputing and other technical enablers underscore the Department of Defense’s commitment to building enduring advantages and delivering cutting-edge defensive capabilities to ensure the Total Force can deter or prevail against advanced chemical and biological threats.”
