Faster super computers allow you to do all kinds of things that would otherwise be quite hard. Think of supercomputers as weapons that you can fire very quietly, nobody even notices that you just tested some new (possibly nuclear) weapons system or that you designed some fighter jet, submarine or rocket.
Super computers are a game changer, not having them is as much as ceding territory, having them but not knowing how to use them has a similar effect. Just like computers were a game changer in the previous war so super computers will be a game changer in the next, with the added caveat that you might not even notice when it starts or ends other than that you suddenly find out that your counterparty runs the show because they cracked the codes you thought were safe.
I didn't say they weren't useful, but, as noted, we already have tons of processing power. Diminishing returns kick in at some point with any sort of investment like this. Tossing a few more super computers at labs isn't going to shake the world.
You can even get time on machines that aren't in the country. I'm sure Chinese experiments have run on US supercomputers at this point.
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I'm not so sure about that.
Faster super computers allow you to do all kinds of things that would otherwise be quite hard. Think of supercomputers as weapons that you can fire very quietly, nobody even notices that you just tested some new (possibly nuclear) weapons system or that you designed some fighter jet, submarine or rocket.
Super computers are a game changer, not having them is as much as ceding territory, having them but not knowing how to use them has a similar effect. Just like computers were a game changer in the previous war so super computers will be a game changer in the next, with the added caveat that you might not even notice when it starts or ends other than that you suddenly find out that your counterparty runs the show because they cracked the codes you thought were safe.
I didn't say they weren't useful, but, as noted, we already have tons of processing power. Diminishing returns kick in at some point with any sort of investment like this. Tossing a few more super computers at labs isn't going to shake the world.
You can even get time on machines that aren't in the country. I'm sure Chinese experiments have run on US supercomputers at this point.