How Federal Agencies are Using Cloud for Information Technology Research and Development

Published: October 01, 2020

Federal Market AnalysisBudgetCloud ComputingDEFENSEDOEInformation TechnologyResearch & DevelopmentResearch and Development

Agencies request funding for cloud-based R&D efforts.

Key Takeaways

  • Millions of dollars are flowing into federal R&D efforts that leverage cloud computing to one degree or another.
  • The highest level of funding is going to R&D that enables the delivery of cloud-based capabilities to the tactical edge.
  • Agencies are beginning to realize the utility of blending High Performance Computing and cloud computing.

Every fiscal year the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program, comprised of representatives from multiple federal agencies conducting IT-related research and development work, publishes a supplement to the president’s budget request. This supplement provides details on planned R&D investments related to government information technology per NITRD’s mandate. R&D investments related to cloud computing are included among the data released by the NITRD Program, providing insight into how research agencies are leveraging cloud services.

The FY 2021 NITRD supplement lists two Program Component Areas (PCAs) conducting cloud-related R&D: the Large Scale Networking (LSN) PCA and the High-Capability Computing Infrastructure and Applications (HCIA) PCA. This post provides a summary of each PCA’s cloud-related work and the funding dedicated to it.

Large Scale Networking (LSN) PCA

Leveraging cloud the most extensively of any PCA, LSN focuses on networking technologies and services, including “R&D in networking architectures, wireless networks, software-defined networks, heterogeneous multimedia networks, testbeds, grid and cloud research and infrastructure, network service and cloud computing middleware, identity management, and end-to-end performance enhancement and performance measurement.”

The key agencies and programs developing cloud-based infrastructure enhancements under the LSN PCA are as follows. Readers will please note that NITRD provides only an overall budget figure for each agency’s participation in the PCA. Determining exactly how much of the total funding listed is going specifically to cloud-related work is not possible given the lack of detail provided.

Department of Defense ($179.6M) – Work at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, NY, is focused on enabling mission-responsive information exchange from the enterprise core to the tactical edge. This work is part of the long-standing Defense effort to use cloud to increase the lethality and connectivity of U.S. combat forces in the field. In addition, the DOD’s High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP), whose executive agent is the U.S. Army, is performing R&D to operationalize N-Wave cloud broker services and operationalize cloud-based international satellite data ingestion and security validation for the Defense Research and Engineering Network (DREN). This work is also related to delivering cloud-based capabilities to the tactical edge. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) requested $4.3M in FY 2021 funding to cooperate with the DOD on this effort.

Additionally, the National Security Agency (NSA) will be conducting network technology and systems R&D to “develop new hardware for future cloud systems, advance reproducibility research for cloud systems, and examine edge devices.” Cooperating Civilian offices/agencies include the Department of Energy Office of Science, which requested $80M for FY 2021, and the National Science Foundation, which requested $131M.

National Institute of Standards and Technology ($32.5M) – Consistent with its mission, NIST will focus on developing standards, metrics, and guidance for the adoption of cloud computing technologies.

Department of Energy Office of Science ($80M) – Will deploy a federated, distributed computing infrastructure.

High-Capability Computing Infrastructure and Applications (HCIA) PCA

Focused primarily on High Performance Computing, the HCIA also does work using cloud computing services.

National Aeronautics and Aerospace Administration ($67.2M) – NASA will develop and provide computing and data services in the cloud for science and engineering projects.

U.S. Geological Survey – The USGS will provide hybrid cloud-based High Capability Computing systems, data management services, and file systems for researchers. No budget figure provided.

Summing up, although it is impossible to identify the specific dollar amounts going to each of these efforts this outline provides a roadmap. Vendors doing cloud-related work should network with their contacts at the agencies listed above to determine if there is the potential for related business opportunities.