HPCwire: SiCortex Proposes Green Index for HPC Systems

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November 06, 2008

SiCortex Proposes Green Index for HPC Systems

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The Green Computing Performance Index (GCPI) evaluates the energy efficiency of computer systems -- providing information that can be used to reduce out-of-control datacenter energy consumption

MAYNARD, Mass., Nov. 6 -- "Many datacenters consume as much electricity as a small city, and it's only going to get worse," says Debra Goldfarb, president and CEO of computer industry analyst firm Tabor Communications. According to industry reports, datacenters consumed 1.2 percent of the United States' electricity in 2005, the equivalent of five nuclear power plants. This consumption was twice that of just five years prior and is expected to double again by 2009. Another metric, cited in a recent McKinsey & Company study: the carbon footprint of datacenters is predicted to eclipse that of air travel by 2020. Why? Aiming to keep up with ever-increasing demands for computing power, datacenter managers have been installing computers at a record pace. Unfortunately, these systems run hot. They require vast amounts of electricity to perform their jobs and often need an equal amount of energy to keep them cool, causing datacenter electricity costs to outpace the cost of the computers. This macro-level global energy consumption problem gives way to a more local problem; many datacenters are simply out of available power.

There are creative approaches to solving the problem. For example, Google is taking the challenge head-on by developing innovative techniques to cool its datacenters, and by building new facilities near sources of hydroelectric power. But building new, efficient datacenters is a mega-million dollar venture, and few datacenter managers have the resources of Google.

The alternative for the rest of the world is to install green computers, systems that require less electricity. Herein lies a new challenge: there are many computer manufacturers claiming to be green, and no broad-based metrics available to analyze their assertions. The Green500, founded by Dr. Wu-chun Feng of Virginia Tech, is the current metric for evaluating performance-per-watt. "The Green500 calls attention to the issue of power consumption by ranking the energy efficiency of the 500 fastest computers in the world," said Dr. Feng. "However, the Green500 will need to evolve to offer a broader view of performance considerations than the current Linpack-based list."

The Green500 list is interesting, but it is not a tool for solving the datacenter energy issue. Computer manufacturer SiCortex has proposed a more inclusive set of metrics for comparing energy efficiency in the High-Productivity Computing segment, comprising systems that perform complex scientific and industrial calculations. The Green Computing Performance Index (GCPI) measures overall system performance-per-watt, based on the industry standard HPCC benchmark suite. The GCPI uses the benchmarks to provide three views of energy efficiency in terms of performance-per-watt. It is the first to measure and rank computers on a broad range of performance metrics relative to energy consumed, providing a business tool to help datacenter managers make more informed decisions. The initial results of sample comparisons revealed a few surprises regarding actual energy efficiencies versus marketing hype.

"We are optimistic that the GCPI will spawn needed dialogue in the industry, calling companies, including SiCortex, to live up to their claims surrounding green HPC," said Chris Stone, president and CEO of SiCortex. "To this end, we are inviting experts from the user community and other thought leaders to take ownership of this Index and preside over its neutrality. It is essential that the industry fully participate in populating this Index; its value will increase as more data is available."

Here is how to get involved:

Datacenter managers and computer vendors: Run the full HPCC benchmark suite and post results on the HPCC Challenge Web site. Submit the energy consumed by the computing process with your benchmark.
Weigh in: Participate in the online discussion via the GCPI blog.

About the Green Computing Performance Index (GCPI)

Developed by SiCortex engineers in cooperation with industry experts, the GCPI analyzes computing performance-per-watt across a spectrum of industry-standard benchmarks, providing organizations with much-needed guidance in the era of out-of-control datacenter energy consumption. It is derived from a straightforward calculation that currently examines a representative sample of established high-productivity computers, and catalogues each according to HPCC industry benchmarks and energy consumption data. The index will expand over time as more data becomes publicly available. The HPCC benchmark suite, developed by a team led by Dr. Jack Dongarra at the University of Tennessee, is a well-respected set of benchmarks that measure the full range of computer system performance.

About SiCortex

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