Cyber infrastructure, including HPC, is considered a frontier science. Its objective is to build world class research, innovation, and human resource capacity within the national system of innovation. Typical projects are new, large scientific initiatives that do not duplicate projects funded from other sources.

Hence, CHPC is a platform for research and development, also providing computing power for other important national initiatives.

The CHPC is linked to the technology missions in the National R&D Strategy through, for example, supporting initiatives such as the advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, and ICT strategies, and new initiatives with high government priority like aerospace, as well as addressing issues which are of low priority in developed countries (such as infectious diseases). The availability of HPC infrastructure in South Africa stimulates the absorptive capacity of industry to increase R&D investment and employ additional researchers.

It is also important for South Africa to link up with, and help create HPC capacity in the broader region, linked to the NEPAD initiative. A future model could be similar to the African Laser Centre initiative, linking South Africa's National Laser Centre in a collaborative network.

At present, HPC capacity is limited outside of South Africa, although in certain countries applications are used (e.g. software for computationally intensive oil reservoir simulations in Algeria).