ACS Applauds Australian Ingenuity and Innovation in ANU Award
Monday 13 November 2000 - The Australian Computer Society (ACS) has congratulated Australian National University (ANU) on winning a prestigious international supercomputing award.
ANU's Australian-designed and built Bunyip Beowulf-style supercomputer won the Gordon Bell Prize for best price/performance at the Supercomputing 2000 Conference in Texas late last week.
ACS President John Ridge said the award was yet another example of Australian research leading the world.
"It's very exciting to see Australian innovation being recognised at a global level," said Mr Ridge.
"Not only has ANU created a supercomputer that is superior to all others in terms of its price/performance, but they have demonstrated that Australians can achieve extraordinary results in a field which has considerable commercial potential.
"Once again, this result highlights the need for both the public and private sectors to invest more heavily in Australian R&D and innovation," he continued.
"The Bunyip project was only made possible through a research grant from ANU, but consider what other breakthroughs might be made if more funding was available for our researchers and academics, and the benefits these might have for our nation's economy."
Mr Ridge repeated his earlier call, made during his speech to the IO2000 2000 Information Outlook Conference in Canberra, for Australian Governments to lead the way in innovation investment, providing stronger leadership for the private sector to emulate.
"The ANU's Gordon Bell Award is but one example of Australian innovation at work. We must provide more opportunities to enable our knowledge workers - our thinkers and innovators - to push the boundaries of technology and create new products and services that can then be commercialised for the domestic and export markets.
"The benefits for Australia will be considerable," he said.
Details of the ANU Bunyip Project are on-line at: http://tux.anu.edu.au/Projects/Bunyip
This media release is available on the ACS Web site at http://www.acs.org.au/news/131100.htm
ENDS
The Australian Computer Society is the recognised association for information
technology (IT) professionals, attracting a large and active membership from
all levels of the IT industry and providing a wide range of services to its
members. It is the public voice of the IT profession, the guardian of professional
ethics and standards in the IT industry, with a commitment to the wider community
to ensure the beneficial use of IT. See the ACS
Home Page for more information.
Media Enquiries:
John Ridge, ACS President, el: (02) 9223 9499 or (0407) 913 992, Email: jridge@mra.com.au
Caroline New, Caroline New PR, Tel: (02) 9980 8060 or (0411) 889 456, Email: cnew@acslink.net.au
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