I think the article is making the argument that the goal of having the fastest X or the biggest X or being the first to X is not the point. Supercomputers have

I think the article is making the argument that the goal of having the fastest X or the biggest X or being the first to X is not the point. Supercomputers have real value, in the sense that they are used to solve real problems that can't be solved otherwise. The bigger point seems to be that the benefit in getting to X is that you normally create a lot of technology that ends up being beneficial to the economy in general. Having an uninterruptable communication network led to the internet. Being able to deploy ICBMs across the nation led to the Highway System. Going to space created a ton of new materials and manufacturing systems that have created products that couldn't have existed before. Having the fastest supercomputer is the trees, the forest is the wealth of technology and industries born out of that race.