NCCOSC RDTE Division, Code D214B, 53570 Silvergate Avenue, Bldg. A33, San Diego, CA 92152-5113

70 -- HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTER SYSTEM POC Contract Specialist, Mr. Robert Ashley, Code D213, (619)553-5493. Contracting Officer, Ms. Charmaine Joworski, (619)553-4536. NCCOSC RDTE DIVISION HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTER SYSTEM. The Government is seeking sources for the planned purchase in the FY98-99 time frame of one new scalable parallel, high performance computer system, as an upgrade to existing scalable parallel computer systems used for research and development in the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) mission area of the NCCOSC RDTE Division (NRaD). Additional information about NRaD and its mission areas may be found at http://www.nosc.mil/nrad/welcome.page. Additional information about the existing scalable parallel computers (a Convex Exemplar SPP-1600/XA and 2 Intel Paragon XP/S-25 systems) may be found at http://hpcweb.nosc.mil. This is a sources sought synopsis. This announcement is a request for information (RFI) ONLY and is considered to be market research. The Government invites comments on the planned purchase strategy and information about existing and potential acquisition methods, including GSA or other Government agency contracts, BOAs, BPAs, and CRDAs, with points-of-contact (POC). This is not a solicitation announcement for proposals and no contract will be awarded pursuant to this announcement. There is no bid package or solicitation document associated with this announcement. To better support the Department of the Navy Information Technology for the 21st Century (http://www.doncio.navy.mil/it-21/index.html) and the DoD Joint Vision 2010 (http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jv2010/index.html) initiatives, NRaD is seeking a computer system that is capable of supporting both UNIX and Microsoft Windows NT operating systems. Conventional utility programs, data base management programs, program development tools, and libraries of communications, visualization, mathematical, and signal processing subroutines are of interest, along with a limited number of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) application programs. Aside from hardware and software maintenance, NRaD anticipates requiring only limited support services. NRaD plans to acquire one new system that complies with the considerations listed below in the FY98-99 time frame. To ensure the earliest access to such a system for its C4ISR research and development programs, it is acceptable for the system to be delivered in stages, with later stages providing greater scalability and performance. NRaD has a CRDA program (http://manta.nosc.mil/~flesner/). It is anticipated that a fixed price contract will result. List of specific considerations. (For each consideration, the time frame for the anticipated capability is of interest.) 1. What is your strategic direction toward producing computer systems that provide support for both the Unix and Windows NT operating system environments? Will such a computer system be able to support both environments? To what extent will this support be provided, and will it be provided at the same time or in separate time periods? 2. Will such a computer system be highly scalable? Will it provide at least 180 gigaflops of total computing capability across multiple 64-bit (at least) processors, with an internal bisectional communications bandwidth of at least 5 gigabytes per second and an external communications bandwidth of at least 100 megabytes per second? 3. Will such a computer system able to support both unclassified and DoD secret data processing? Will this support be provided at the same time or in separate time periods? How will the various resources of such a computer system be shared across the different classification levels? 4. Will such a computer system include special features for simulation, real time, or embedded applications development? 5. To what extent will the various features of the computer system support the 64-bit Intel Architecture (IA-64)? Will the computer system include features that support file or program sharing -- that is, can a file or program be accessed from both the UNIX and Windows NT operating environments? To what extent will such sharing require pre-planning? 6. Will such a computer system include special features for effectively managing large on-line (on the order of 200 to 500 gigabyte) and archival (on the order of 5 to 50 terabyte) data storage requirements? 7. What is your strategic direction toward providing (whether by manufacturing or by obtaining from a third party) on-line and archival storage systems that will support such a computer system? To what extent will such systems support the specific considerations listed in items 2 through 5 above? Information received in response to this CBD announcement will not be used as a basis for any potential noncompetitive procurement action. The purpose of this notice is to solicit information on the future availability of such a computer system from private industry. Please direct any questions via e-mail to the POC, Robert Ashley (Rashley@nosc.mil). Interested parties should submit any applicable information by September 1, 1997 via electronic transmission to the POC, or via two (2) complete sets of hard copy materials to the above address. In addition, parties who wish to do so may schedule a one-on-one information-gathering presentation for NRaD representatives, by contacting the POC. The overall presentation will not last longer than two hours. Such presentations will take place at the San Diego, CA offices of NRaD during September 2-5, 15-16, or 29-30, 1997, with exact timing and location to be mutually arranged. Parties are advised that NRaD is encouraging frank discussions and will ask clarifying questions but will not respond with comments or results of the meetings. Parties will be expected to discuss their anticipated responses to the specific considerations listed in this announcement. All data received in response to this RFI marked or designated as corporate or proprietary information will be fully protected to the extent allowed. The data will not be delivered or presented outside of NRaD. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this RFI. It is emphasized that the requested information is for preliminary planning purposes only and does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that NRaD will issue such a procurement in the future. Neither NRaD nor the Government will be responsible for reimbursement of any costs associated with providing information in response to this RFI, nor to any follow-up information requests. (0216)

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