The ASC Student Supercomputer Challenge (ASC16) Training kicked off in Beijing on January 26. To this date, 175 teams from 148 universities around the world have signed up for the competition. On the list, there are teams from well-known universities like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US), Imperial College London (UK), the University of Hamburg (Germany), Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), the Australian National University, and Tsinghua University, which is the champion of all three world’s largest supercomputer contests, ASC15, ISC15, and SC15.
ASC16 announced details of the Preliminary Contest at the launch. It incorporates HPCG (High Performance Conjugate Gradients), an ocean model MASNUM_WAM, and a deep learning algorithm DNN (Deep Neural Network) . Students are asked to design a high performance computer system that optimizes applications under 3000W and submit the result and the code by March 2. Only 16 teams could enter the final round that will be held in Huazhong University of Science and Technology in April in Wuhan, China.
The experts analyze that the ASC16 Preliminary Contest reflects the trends of the supercomputing technology: focus switching from peak value to actual efficiency, and innovations emerged from traditional applications. ASC has always been focusing on combining latest technologies and practical applications. Since its first launch in 2012, the contest has covered 18 applications in 10 fields, ranging from materials to life, the earth, astronomy, energy, finance, etc. What’s more, the e Prize encourages students to utilize the fastest computer or the latest supercomputing skills to optimize cutting-edge applications. This has further stimulated students’ interests in innovations. In the previous contests, the students successfully optimized a financial risk analysis model, a frontier algorithm for petroleum exploration, and the core data processing software of an international science engineering project SKA (Square Kilometer Array) telescope. They have immensely increased the computation performance and the efficiency, hence promoting the development of the related scientific research and engineering applications.
Wang Endong, one of the initiators of ASC, Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Chief Scientist of the Inspur Group, says that supercomputing is developing faster than ever, that the applications have expanded in more fields, and that supercomputing, big data, and cloud computing will merge into a new model of “big computing”. In fact, ASC’s continuing innovation over the years has exposed college students to a wide range of applications, thus has helped them better understand how supercomputing creates innovations in various fields, and therefore cultivate highly skilled supercomputing talent.
Xu Xiaodong, the Vice President of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, views supercomputing as a leading scientific research tool. He says that its talent cultivation should be systematically designed, which involves discipline setting, textbook reform, instruction model, and career development, and therefore requires the attention and support across the society. Huazhong University of Science and Technology always emphasizes on combining frontier technologies and talent cultivation. They believe co-hosting ASC16 will help students learn about the latest supercomputing technology, and promote exchange among young talent in China and the world.
ASC was first initiated and organized in China, yet has gained support from experts and technology organizations in US, Europe, and Asia. With a goal to inspire more innovative applications in various fields, it has attracted more and more talent to supercomputing and has greatly promoted communications in the supercomputing community throughout the world. Within 5 years, the ASC Student Supercomputer Challenge has become the world’s largest supercomputing hackathon.