Georgia Electronic Commerce Association Dr. G. Wayne Clough, President Georgia Institute of Technology April 30, 2003
Georgia Tech: Driving high-end economic development Oak Ridge National Laboratory National Light Rail System Bio-ring around Atlanta Advanced clean room facility Governor s Telecommunications and Technology Task Force
Georgia Tech is a leader in the six-university coalition that manages this major national facility. Puts the Southeast on the science map, and enables Tech to promote Georgia s interests. Access to world-class research facilities: Spallation Neutron Source: source of brighter neutrons that can yield more detailed snapshots of material structure Super-computing
Super-computing at ORNL Georgia Tech is one of 6 universities/national labs now connected to Cheetah, a 4.5 teraflop computer, by a highspeed link 200,000 times faster than home dial-up. Cheetah is a building block for the world s largest computer, which Oak Ridge National Lab is presently assembling. Goal: to exceed 100 teraflops.
National Light Rail System Non-commercial, highcapacity, high-speed Internet 3 system connecting major research universities. Powerful tool for research on climate change, nanoscience and nanotechnology, biotechnology.
Biotechnology Georgia Tech, Emory University, Georgia Research Alliance, Metro Atlanta Bioscience Council working to create bio-ring around Atlanta. Biotechnology is interdisciplinary: biology, chemistry, medicine, agriculture, engineering, and computing.
Bioinformatics Uses computing methods and models to analyze, manage, and process biological, medical, biochemical, biophysical data. Expected to become $50 billion industry during next five or six years. We are pursing a piece of the action for Georgia. Georgia Tech has master s program, will soon start Ph.D. program.
Pettit Microelectronics Building Supports $25 million in annual micro-scale research. Contributes to the state s broadband telecommunications initiatives. Operates at over 150% of capacity. Cannot support nano- or molecular-scale research.
Advanced Clean Room site Creating an IT cluster IBB and BME Klaus Advanced Computing Bldg College of Computing Microelectronics Research Center Electrical and Computer Engineering
Advanced Clean Room Building 150,000 gsf facility for ultra-clean research and teaching labs Microelectronics Semi-conductors Nanotechnology Pharmaceuticals Micro- and nano-materials and electrical devices Class 10, 100, 1,000 clean rooms* * Particles per cubic foot (Humans emit 600,000 particles per minute from skin, hair and breath.)
The new clean room facility will Expand nano- and molecular-scale research to more than $60 million a year. Support 120 faculty members, 600 graduate students. Be a catalyst for university-industry collaboration across the South. Set the stage for a national center of excellence in micro- and nano- research and fabrication. Create an unfair advantage for high-end economic development in Georgia.
The next strategic imperative Materials with 10 times the strength of steel and a fraction of the weight Computer speeds that make tortoises of the Pentium Bio-medical implants to detect tumors the size of just a few cells Processing of semi-conductors without water Self-healing alloys, fibers, skin and other tissues Custom designed drugs, cures for genetic diseases
As approved by the Board of Regents project scope Total space gross ft 2 150,000 Building infrastructure 80,000 Assignable space 70,000 Clean room suites 30,000 Clean room set-up and operations 20,000 Research laboratory space 20,000 Project cost State funds GT/private funds $80 million $45 million $35 million
Governor s Telecommunications and Technology Task Force 14 members, most were industry experts. 4 meetings with dozens of state agency heads, state IT managers, representatives from industries and associations. Reviewed and summarized 50 documents, largely involving the experiences of other states.
Georgia Technology Authority Created by General Assembly in 2000. Strong power concentrated in central agency. Headed by state s chief information officer. Consists of some 800 employees, most from old Department of Administrative Services. Created an external advisory board. Weak communication channels with state agencies.
CCOP Expectations Converging IT and telecom technology means a converged network would be best. A converged network would save money and reduce interagency disparities. The large scale of a bundled bid would leverage the state s buying power. A 10-year timeframe would allow initial capital expenditures to be recouped. Disparities in service between rural and urban areas would be reduced for the general public as well as for the state.
The realities No other state has successfully outsourced a converged network in a single procurement. Depending on agency mission, the latest technology is not always needed or the most appropriate. Reliability and security are as important as speed and bandwidth. Many agency IT personnel are highly skilled and fully appreciate agency needs. Training can be as important as hardware. GTA s mission is telecom and technology policy for state agencies; rural economic development is the purview of other agencies.
One size does not fit all Human Resources: large, reliable, centralized system to handle a million welfare, food stamp and Medicaid customers. Agriculture: rural wireless networks for inspectors who work out of home and car. Treasury: secure, reliable connections to transfer large sums of money. Ga Tech: online and video courses; high-capacity networks for research data; high-end computing needs.
Industry Perspectives on CCOP The contract covered so many services and was so large that it produced odd bedfellows and reduced opportunities for small firms. Because of its breadth, the contract needed a middleman to manage its moving parts. Rather than reducing costs in rural areas, a converged network was found very expensive. Cost savings and productivity efficiencies more likely in computing than telecom networks. A 10-year time frame can result in high premiums for changing technology.
Findings Uniform standards are needed and procurement can be consolidated to a greater extent, but agencies need flexibility to meet their unique needs efficiently. Technology upgrades have been stalled for 3 years due to delays caused by CCOP process. There is no silver bullet for low-cost service to remote, rural areas. Leasing existing capacity would provide the latest network technology without capital expenditure and avoid a state-run network.
Revisiting GTA s Role Less of a top-down administrator and more of a collaborative facilitator. Consolidate procurement where feasible, but focus on achieving efficiencies by providing each agency with the most appropriate technology on appropriate refreshment cycles. Put as much emphasis on training as on technology.
Conclusions Critical technology infrastructure needs that were delayed must be addressed promptly. Significant cost savings are possible. Strategic approach is needed to acquire appropriate technology and provide training to use it. Efficiencies in state government performance are achievable through technology.