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The FY 2002 Budget Request for the Computer-Communications
Research (C-CR) Subactivity is $64.39 million, a decrease of $1.1
million, or 1.7 percent, from the FY 2001 Current Plan of $65.49
million.
(Millions of Dollars)
| |
FY
2000
Actual |
FY
2001
Current Plan |
FY
2002
Request |
Change |
| Amount |
Percent |
| Computer-Communications
Research |
60.24
|
65.49
|
64.39
|
-1.10 |
-1.7% |
| Total,
C-CR |
$60.24
|
$65.49
|
$64.39
|
-$1.10 |
-1.7% |
C-CR supports research underlying the design, construction,
and utilization of information and communications systems of all
kinds. It covers theory and implementation for both hardware and
software research. The design of algorithms and architectures as
well as the tools and technologies for exploiting them are in the
scope of this Subactivity. The goal is to promote fundamental understanding
of computing and communication and to enable development of the
advanced, highly reliable systems needed for critical applications
in science, engineering, transportation, environment, industrial
control, commerce, national defense, education, and health care.
Because of the breadth of research it supports, C-CR
has 8 standing programs and also takes part in other broader priority
efforts. The C-CR programs address two broad areas:
Research on basic issues in computing and information
that include the theory of computing, algorithms for scientific
computation, computer graphics, operating systems, compilers,
software design and productivity, computer architecture, and programming
languages. This research provides the bridge from computing and
communication systems to application systems with ideas used to
design new types of computers and build operating systems and
other software systems. Improvements in software quality and productivity
are also important benefits of this research.
Research in the design and engineering of computer
hardware and communications and signal processing systems addresses
communications, signal processing, coding and compression techniques,
design automation, and computer architecture. This research develops
the ideas embodied in new computer and communications systems.
Improvements in computing and communication speeds and capabilities
come from this research and continue to provide rapid improvements
in technology.
Some examples of the research promoted by C-CR are:
Terence Swift at SUNY-Stony Brook has developed
a "tabled logic" approach to logic programming, called
XSB, that has opened new applications areas for logic programming
in data cleaning and integration, medical and psychiatric diagnosis,
web agents, verification of concurrent systems, and circuit diagnosis
and machine learning.
The Signal Processing Program funds a number
of efforts, for example, the work of Gregory Wornell at MIT, that
have made strides in overall efficiency in high-throughput, mixed
traffic, mobile, multimedia, wireless communication networks.
This is an area of current high demand and importance, where small
advances have significant economic impacts.
In FY 2002, C-CR will emphasize two new research
areas:
Molecular architectures. Computer science has
developed a very successful tradition for analyzing and synthesizing
complex systems by imposing on them a conceptual "architecture."
The architecture utilizes multiple layers of abstraction to represent
component interactions within these layers as well as provide
clear interfaces between layers. The goal of this emphasis area
is to develop new architectural notions for this emerging area
of nanotechnology, with the goal of systematizing the design of
nanoscale artifacts. The research will be coordinated through
the NSF-wide Nanoscale Science and Engineering program.
Cyber-Trust. C-CR will increase support for research
in critical infrastructure protection. Protection of computing
and communications system is critical to the privacy of citizens,
the safety of transportation systems, the financial health of
business organizations, stability of the global economy, and national
security. The information technology industry faces a crisis of
confidence in its ability to design and build systems of acceptable
trustworthiness. Cyber-Trust will focus on critical hardware and
software technologies that are necessary to achieve high levels
of system safety, security and privacy, and survivability. The
research directions will include sound theoretical bases for assured
construction of safe, secure systems; principles and methodology
for secure and dependable hardware, software, and network design;
and techniques to verify and validate high confidence systems
against security breaches and hardware/software faults.
C-CR will also begin a program, in FY 2002, in Hybrid
and Embedded Systems. Hybrid and Embedded Systems are typically
small, stand-alone devices that are hybrids of digital and analog
devices or devices, such as cell-phones, personal digital assistants
(PDA's), or medical devices, that have embedded small digital systems
along with other functions. Research challenges in hybrid systems
range from developing a fundamental, mathematical understanding
of how discrete (digital) and analog systems interact to developing
techniques for design and optimization of systems. Research on embedded
devices includes new techniques for low power computing and design
methods for small systems in which neither processing nor memory
is ample.
Other new emphasis areas that will be supported in
existing programs include:
Quantum, chemical, bio-inspired, and other non-silicon
computing technologies. This area is a joint undertaking with
the CISE Experimental and Integrative Activities Subactivity.
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