Third pillar of scientific discovery: scientific supercomputations

Yu. S. Vasil'ev ; V. G. Korneev

Učënye zapiski Kazanskogo universiteta. Seriâ Fiziko-matematičeskie nauki, Kazanskii Gosudarstvennyi Universitet. Uchenye Zapiski. Seriya Fiziko-Matematichaskie Nauki, Tome 149 (2007) no. 4, pp. 6-32

Résumé

Second half of the 20-th century is characterized by astonishingly fast development of numerical techniques for solution of problems of mechanics, physics, chemistry, as well as scientific and applied problems from many other domains of the human life. It was paralleled and stimulated by fast development of computers. Many new important directions have arisen, such as, e.g. computational medicine or computer engineering. Powerful commercial and scientific program packages have been created which allowed to save huge means at the perception of the surrounding world and design of variable objects of human activity. At the same time problems facing the mankind are becoming incredibly more complex, and their resolving demands huge efforts from science and changes its outlook. Advancing in many most important branches of science and engineering has became possible only on the basis of computational science, which is understood as an aggregate of all interacting components, necessary for solving challenge problems by means of computer modelling and simulation. In scientific and wider communities, it is becoming acknowledged that the computational science has became the third pillar of scientific discovery, a peer alongside theory and physical experiment. Nevertheless, Russia has lost advanced positions in a number of directions in this branch of science and the lag is comparable to the lag in the computer development. In such circumstances choice of directions of efforts is especially important. Not posing an unrealizable aim of a thorough analysis of causes and the answer to the question what to do, the authors attempted to give an adequate picture of the role of the computational science in the modern, mostly western, society and, at some extent, of its influence upon higher education. Primarily, we employ experience of the USA, which is better reflected in the literature and internet. The paper do not pretend to reach ultimate conclusions, its aim will be attained, if it will promote productive discussion of the rased in it questions.