Advanced Simulation and Computing Program

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Advanced Simulation and Computing Program
Type	Program
Sponsor Organization	National Nuclear Security Administration
Top Organization	Department of Energy
Creation Legislation	National Nuclear Security Administration Act
Website	Website
Purpose	The Advanced Simulation and Computing Program develops and deploys high-performance computing simulations to ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile without underground testing. It supports national security by advancing computational tools for stockpile stewardship and broader scientific discovery.
Program Start	1995
Initial Funding	Not specified; funded through DOE/NNSA appropriations
Duration	Ongoing
Historic	No

Advanced Simulation and Computing Program (ASC) is a Department of Energy initiative managed by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to maintain the U.S. nuclear arsenal through cutting-edge computational modeling and simulation, replacing the need for underground nuclear tests following the 1992 moratorium. The program develops and deploys high-performance computing simulations to ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the nuclear stockpile, while also advancing computational tools that support national security missions and scientific research in areas like materials science and climate modeling, leveraging some of the world’s most powerful supercomputers at labs like Los Alamos, Sandia, and Lawrence Livermore.

Official Site

Goals

Certify the nuclear stockpile’s performance without physical testing, targeting annual assessments for NNSA.
Advance high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities, aiming for exascale systems exceeding 10^18 calculations per second.
Support broader DOE missions, with success metrics including simulation accuracy and scientific breakthroughs.

Organization

The Advanced Simulation and Computing Program is administered by the National Nuclear Security Administration within the Department of Energy, executed through its three primary weapons laboratories: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Funding comes from annual DOE/NNSA appropriations, with governance involving tri-lab coordination and oversight by NNSA’s Office of Defense Programs. The program collaborates with industry partners like IBM and NVIDIA for supercomputer development.

The leader of the program holds the title of ASC Program Director, currently Thuc Hoang as of 2025.

History

The ASC Program was established in 1995 in response to the U.S. cessation of underground nuclear testing, authorized under the National Nuclear Security Administration Act of 2000, which formalized NNSA’s role. It evolved from earlier efforts like the Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative (ASCI), delivering supercomputers like ASCI Red (1997) and Sierra (2018). Key milestones include achieving petascale computing in the 2000s and progressing toward exascale with systems like El Capitan, expected in 2025. The program continues to innovate, focusing on AI integration and sustainable HPC growth.

Funding

Initial funding in 1995 was not publicly specified but drew from DOE/NNSA budgets, starting with the program’s launch and continuing through annual appropriations. For example, the 2018 Sierra system at LLNL was part of a multi-billion-dollar CORAL collaboration, with funding ongoing and no end date. Additional investments have supported exascale transitions, sourced from federal allocations and lab-specific budgets.

Implementation

ASC implements its mission by developing simulation codes, deploying supercomputers, and integrating physics-based models at LANL, SNL, and LLNL. Methods include tri-lab code suites like CTH and advanced platforms like Trinity and Sierra, rolled out in phases—e.g., Sierra’s 2018 deployment for stockpile stewardship. There is no defined end date, with efforts focused on maintaining stockpile confidence and pushing computational frontiers toward exascale and beyond.

External links

Social media

https://twitter.com/NNSANews