NSF and other Federal agencies will require further understanding of concepts, methods, and means for Exascale computing systems before formulation of future programs in enabling technologies, architectures, and methodologies. Such understanding will drive the unknowns to be determined, the challenges to be addressed, strategies to guide, and tasks to be performed on the way to Exascale system realization. The objective of realizing systems capable of sustained Exaflops computing by 2018 suggests that sponsored R&D programs dedicated to this goal be started no later than 2011 to provide sufficient time to complete the ensemble of necessary research, design, and implementation tasks. The NSF Point Design Study for Exascale Computing is a collection of three tasks that will look at three different regimes of computing by experts in those areas. While each is stand alone, they will benefit strongly through cooperation and sharing of results, each being guided by the insights derived from the others. These are 1) applications and programming models, 2) system architecture and operating systems, and 3) hardware technology and component design. This SGER will study system architecture and operating systems aspect of the Point Design Study for Exascale Computing.
