GFortran

GFortran is a tool that helps turn complex scientific calculations, written in the Fortran programming language, into software that can run on computers. It is used behind the scenes in many areas that affect daily life, such as predicting the weather, designing safer airplanes and cars, studying climate change, and researching new medicines. Scientists and engineers use GFortran to create fast, reliable programs that can handle extremely large amounts of data and complicated simulations. Even though most people never see it directly, GFortran plays a key role in powering the research, technology, and innovations that impact society every day.

GFortran is the default Fortran compiler on many Linux systems and a cornerstone of high-performance computing. It is used in climate modeling, aerospace, weather forecasting, computational chemistry, artificial intelligence, and many other fields. It enables scientists and engineers to translate complex mathematical models into efficient, high-speed executable programs. The GFortran compiler supports a wide range of Fortran standards and features, allowing users to take full advantage of modern hardware capabilities for parallel computation and large-scale simulations, all while maintaining the portability and long-term viability of their scientific software.

Improving support for newer standards and parallel computing features will allow scientists and engineers to better utilize advanced hardware, enabling more efficient, reliable, and sustainable scientific computing using a free and open source tool. Advancing GFortran directly serves the public interest by sustaining open scientific infrastructure, promoting innovation, and ensuring that essential research and engineering applications remain accessible, efficient, and future-proof and independent of commercial software.

GFortran provides an open, reliable, and modern way to compile Fortran code, which is heavily used for scientific, engineering, and high-performance computing applications. Many critical fields—including simulations of climate processes, artificial intelligence, fluid and gas dynamics, and the financial sphere—depend on Fortran for running large simulations and processing complex mathematical models. A robust, up-to-date GFortran compiler allows public institutions, research organizations, and industries to maintain and extend critical codebases without being forced to rely on expensive and proprietary solutions.

Public research institutions, universities, and government agencies often have long-term projects based on Fortran code and need open, sustainable tools. It's also vital for industries like aerospace, automotive, and energy, where high-performance simulations are key to innovation and safety. Without an up-to-date and well-supported GFortran, these sectors would face higher costs, slower progress, and reduced access to cutting-edge computing technologies.

The work the Sovereign Tech Fund is commissioning on GFortran improves parallel computing support, fixes critical standards compliance issues, and overhauls key internal systems for better performance and maintainability. It ensures GFortran remains a reliable, high-performance tool for scientific and engineering communities.

• Provide coarray support using a shared memory model to enable efficient parallel computing on modern hardware.
• Enhance distributed memory features to allow better handling of complex data structures in coarray programs.
• Expand and stabilize teams and failed image support to make programs more resilient and scalable.
• Fix compliance issues related to finalization and the associate construct to meet modern Fortran standards.
• Modernize array handling by updating the array descriptor for better performance and C interoperability.
• Simplify and improve scalarization to make the compiler more maintainable and efficient.