AGILE Q and A.pdf

AGILE Questions and Answers

1. Please clarify whether the 25 pages limit for the technical proposal section applies only to the Technical Approach or if it includes sections such as Project Schedule, Milestones, and Deliverables; or Management Approach.

The technical proposal has the page limit of 25 pages. The technical proposal includes the technical approach as well as items 2-5 listed on page 36 of the BAA.

2. Given the challenging nature of the performance goals in the BAA and the necessity for co-design across the entire technology stack, collaborations across industry, academic, and research organizations are envisioned. Could you clarify the rough order of magnitude of the potential awards so that offerors can better plan the appropriate scale of work proposed?

It is IARPA policy not to publish funding limits or targets.

3. Given a number of institutional closures during the holiday season, with reduced or unavailable support and facilities for as long as 10 days, would it be possible to extend the proposals due date of January 18, 2022?

The Government has considered this question and will change the deadline for proposal submission to 4:00pm EST on January 24, 2022.

4. Design models are the primary work output that will be measured by the T&E team. While section A-2.2 states that “A-SST and an FPGA emulation platform will be available to Performers at the start of the AGILE program”, the AGILE extensions to SST have not been described. Will a description of the planned SST extensions be made available prior to the response due date?

Yes, description of AGILE extensions to SST have been published. In addition, the FPGA emulation platform has also been published. See the following links:

https://www.iarpa.gov/images/research-programs/AGILE/A-SST_Documentation.pdf https://www.iarpa.gov/images/research-programs/AGILE/FireSim_Documentation.pdf

5. The BAA document refers to today’s computers as departmental level multi-cabinet systems.

Can this baseline be made more explicit?

An example of today’s computers is found in the following link:

https://www.iarpa.gov/images/research-programs/AGILE/Baseline_Computer_ System_Information.pdf

However, the goal of the AGILE program is not to start with a baseline computer design and improve the design, it is to develop a new design that achieves the AGILE goals.

The above baseline system will be used by the T&E Team to establish the baseline performance of the AGILE application suite. The baseline system will also be used to evaluate the performers’ implementations of the AGILE applications suite.

6. Both the Knowledge Graph and Sequence Data workflows combine both graph processing and data analytics, including ingest and analysis of both streaming and stored data. However, no references other than potential data types are made to the capacity or structure of the potential data. Is there a better description of the data that will need to be maintained alongside the graphs in these workflows and should the management of this data be included in the architectural descriptions and simulation work?

The Knowledge Graph workflow will process a property graph comprised of a variety of vertex and edge types and properties (e.g., persons, organizations, travel records, communication records, etc. The workflow will define a specific set of tasks to be executed. Only data operations necessary to execute the tasks must be shown and timed; no other data management is necessary.

The Sequence data workflow might be cyber related ingesting multiple streams of netflow, system event, and account authorization records; or a stream of audio-video packets from multiple sources. The workflow will define a specific set of tasks to be executed. Only data operations necessary to execute the tasks must be shown and timed; no other data management is necessary.

7. Is the use of A-SST mandatory as a design and test platform?

Performers’ designs will be independently validated using A-SST. To ensure program performance metrics are met, the testing and evaluation modeling must include the whole node and enable performance estimates for a multi-node design. Performers will be responsible for providing models of their designs using design-tool-neutral modeling or hardware description artifacts that are integrated with A-SST (SystemC, C/C++, SST, Verilog, or System Verilog). See Section A.2.6 of the BAA.

8. One typographical error noted in the current version of the BAA: on page 65, in the Selected Knowledge Graph workflow components with target metrics section, the units for today’s current level of performance are incorrect, they should be “1,440 minutes”, not “1,440 seconds”.

The Government appreciates the comment. Yes, the correct text should be 1,440 minutes. The table in section A.2.3-1 has the correct units for today’s performance levels.

9. Can a company that is a subsidiary of a foreign company, be a prime awardee on the AGILE program?

If the subsidiary is a company incorporated in the U.S. and wholly owned by a foreign entity, then the subsidiary can serve as a prime awardee under the AGILE program.

10. Which contract instruments can be used for an AGILE contract?

The BAA states that awards will be Procurement Contracts and Cooperative Agreements.

11. Can an academic-only team submit a proposal?

Yes.

12. Is it expected that all aspects of the BAA are addressed in each proposal?

The proposal must address all stated requirements in the BAA.

13. Is it acceptable for a university to be a prime awardee on the AGILE program?

Yes.

14. Are there any restrictions on subcontractors?

See Section C.1 Eligible Applicants of the AGILE BAA.