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Bandwidth Challenge Seeks Network Applications to Stretch High-Performance Internet Infrastructure
Qwest Communications sponsors prizes for most daring networking at SC2002

BALTIMORE, May 28, 2002 – SC2002, the conference for high performance networking and computing, will be the site of this year's High-Performance Bandwidth Challenge, an annual competition for leading-edge network applications developed by teams of researchers from around the world.

The competition will take place live on the SC2002 show floor in Baltimore using SCinet, the state-of-art, on-site network designed and built especially for the annual SC conference. SCinet will make available over 15 gigabits per second of wide area network connectivity—nearly 300,000 times more than a typical modem—to the competitors, establishing the SC conference as one of the best connected locations on the planet.

"The High-Performance Bandwidth Challenge provides a showcase for the technologies and people that provide the networking capabilities that are crucial to supercomputing," said Dennis Duke of Florida State University and chair of SCinet. "This competition also provides an opportunity to demonstrate innovative network applications across all disciplines."

The High-Performance Bandwidth Challenge is sponsored by Qwest Communications. Those planning to participate in the challenge must submit a statement of intent by July 12 and a full proposal by August 2.

"The bandwidth challenge was designed to test the limits of network capabilities, and past events have showcased multi-gigabit-per second demonstrations never before thought possible," said Wesley Kaplow, CTO for Qwest's Government Services Division. "As a state-of -the-art network services provider, Qwest is proud to be involved in an event that gives attendees a preview of how leading-edge networks are shaping the of future of scientific research."

Award winners at last year's High-Performance Bandwidth Challenge included a team led by the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, with collaborators in Illinois and Germany. The team used 3.3 gigabits per second of network capacity to access supercomputing resources in Berkeley, CA, and Champaign, IL to create a real-time visualization of a simulated collision between two black holes. Another of last year's was an intercontinental collaborative performance organized by the University of Florida's Digital Worlds Institute and featuring dancers in Denver, Minneapolis and Florida accompanied by musicians in Brazil. The third winner was a team from the San Diego Supercomputer Center and the University of California at San Diego that used the network to remotely operate an electron microscope.

SC2002 will be held Nov. 16-22 at the Baltimore Convention Center. For more information about this year's High-Performance Bandwidth Challenge, see:

About SC2002
SC2002 brings together scientists, engineers, systems administrators, programmers, and managers to share ideas and glimpse the future of high performance networking and computing, data analysis and management, visualization, and computational modeling. This year, SC will highlight how we can use our evolving cyberinfrastructure to tap into terabytes of data to gain insight into creating a world that is safer, healthier and better educated. The conference is sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society and by the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer Architecture. For more, see .

About SCinet
SCinet, the state-of-art, on-site network designed and built especially for the annual SC conference, enables a rich environment for real-time demonstrations, communications, and collaboration. SCinet works with applications developers who attempt demonstrations using most or all of the bandwidth provided. A high-speed network testbed provides access to major national networks and testbeds, and a virtual conference capability with international participants. As in prior years, an elite team of researchers, exhibitors, communications carriers, and networking equipment suppliers will work with talented volunteers from universities, government and industry to assemble and operate SCinet. For more information, see: http://scinet.supercomp.org/

About Qwest
Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q) is a leader in reliable, scalable and secure broadband data, voice and image communications for businesses and consumers. The Qwest Macro Capacity® Fiber Network, designed with the newest optical networking equipment for speed and efficiency, spans more than 113,000 miles globally. For more information, please visit the Qwest Web site at www.qwest.com.

Media contacts:

Karen Green, kareng@ncsa.uiuc.edu
217-265-0748

Greg Wood, ghwood@internet2.edu
202-331-5360

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