Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

You think the US government is big and spends lots of money? It is now overshadowed by industry—especially in computing.

I was an employee of the US Federal government for 28 years. We did big things in computing that cost big dollars. I once worked in a lab where we had four supercomputers. One of them cost $6 million while the other three cost $4 million each. No one had that type of computing power.

There is news that Microsoft and OpenAI will build a data center with an AI super-duper-computer that will cost $100 Billion. That is Billion with a B. No government in the world can afford such a computer center.

At least in the field of computing, governments have fallen far behind industry. Innovation and production occurs in industry. Governments sheepishly ask for handouts.

“Can we please use Copilot for a reduced price? We have 10,000 employees. That should be worth some consideration, huh?” That doesn’t make a dent to a company that has 100 million registered users. There are no home-town discounts to a government that drug your company in court for ten years with no result.

The US government tied IBM in court for a decade. No result. The US government tied Microsoft in court for ten years. No result. The US government is starting the same with Apple. Experts predict that same no result.

Adjusting to the new world? Hardly. The US House of Representatives bans the use of Copilot among its staffers. No need for better product and productivity. Just continue to plod along. We are, after all, THE GOVERNMENT.

That doesn’t carry any weight any longer. Some haven’t realized this. Many outside of government realized it a decade ago. I am still associated with the US Federal government. We can do better. Here’s hoping for a better future.