The Weekly Top Five – 05/12/2011

By Tiffany Trader

May 12, 2011

The Weekly Top Five features the five biggest HPC stories of the week, condensed for your reading pleasure. This week, we cover the Cray-Sandia partership to found a knowledge institute; RenderStream’s FireStream-based workstations and servers; NVIDIA’s CUDA center growth; Reservoir Labs and Intel’s extreme scale ambitions; and Jülich Supercomputing Centre’s new hybrid cluster. Plus a bonus section.

Cray, Sandia Combine Efforts to Foster Knowledge Discovery

Prominent supercomputer vendor Cray Inc. and Sandia National Laboratories have come together to establish the Supercomputing Institute for Learning and Knowledge Systems (SILKS). This is a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), a private-public collaboration, which aims to promote knowledge discovery, data management and informatics computing. SILKS is located at Sandia’s Albuquerque-based headquarters and draws from its founders’ hardware and software resources as well as the experience and knowledge of their research staff.

The founding partners declared three primary goals for the endeavor:

1. Accelerate the development and application of high performance computing (HPC) technologies focused on solving knowledge discovery, data management and informatics problems at scale.

2. Collaborate to overcome the implementation barriers to a wider adoption of data-driven HPC computing technologies in knowledge discovery, data management and informatics.

3. Apply the use of these technologies to enable discovery and innovation in science, engineering and for homeland security.

The broad-based agenda will tackle a range of technology domains, including software, hardware, services, education and outreach. Representatives from both Sandia and Cray anticipate the collaborative effort will result in cutting-edge technologies and solutions.

RenderStream Releases AMD-based Servers and Workstations for OpenCL

Addressing the need for GPU-accelerated HPC, 3D workstation specialist RenderStream has launched its AMD Radeon-based servers and workstations for OpenCL. These 21.6 teraflop systems also support OpenGL and Brooks based applications and product development. According to a company statement, GPGPU high-performance computing using AMD GPUs shows great potential for information security, medical imaging, computer graphics and rendering, server side rendering, finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD), electro-magnetics, physics, bio-science and EDA.”

RenderStream’s AMD Radeon HD 6970 based VDACTr8 and its HD 6990 based VDAC4x2 implement 1,536 stream processors and eight GPUs per system, providing access to 12,288 cores and 21.6 teraflops of computing power when operating at an over-clocked peak performance.

The official announcement illustrates the server’s performance-boosting capabilities with this real-world example from the field of information security:

Using the integer-based oclHashCat, RenderStream’s customers are seeing near linear scaling in computational power which simply trounces the 4,096 cores and 12.6 teraflops of our GTX 580 based VDACTr8. In this example the HD 6970 and HD 6990 based VDACTr8 evaluated over 45 billion solutions per second versus 18 billion for the GTX 580 based systems, depending on the implementation.

RenderStream offers general purpose GPU systems as well as HPC-specific GPU-based platforms outfitted with either NVIDIA Tesla or AMD FireStream graphics processors.

NVIDIA CUDA Centers Number Four Hundred

 

This week, NVIDIA announced the addition of 35 new CUDA Research Centers and CUDA Teaching Centers, bringing the total number of such centers to 400. The latest partner institutions come from 14 countries, evidence of parallel computing’s — and NVIDIA’s — global reach.

The centers will leverage the parallel computing power of NVIDIA’s CUDA-based GPUs to tackle a bevy of challenging computing issues, as well as teach thousands of students cutting-edge GPU programming skills. CUDA Research Centers employ GPU computing across multiple domains, while the CUDA Teaching Centers have incorporated GPU computing techniques into their main computer programming curriculum. NVIDIA explains that its CUDA Research Center Program “fosters collaboration at institutions that are expanding the frontier of parallel computing.” Partners benefit from “exclusive events with key researchers and academics, a designated NVIDIA technical liaison, and access to specialized online and in-person training sessions.”

For a full listing of the newest CUDA Research Centers and CUDA Teaching Centers, see the official announcement.

Reservoir Labs, Intel Partner on DARPA UHPC Project

Reservoir Labs announced it will collaborate with Intel researchers on the development of compiler technologies and architectures in order to create viable extreme scale computing by the year 2018. The duo have signed a subcontracting agreement that brings Reservoir Labs research scientists and technologies to Intel’s team to develop Extreme Scale computing technologies as part of DARPA’s Ubiquitous High Performance Computing (UHPC) research program.

According to the release: “The goal of the UHPC program is to develop 1 PFLOPS (HPL) single cabinet systems, including self-contained cooling, that overcome significant energy efficiency, security, and programmability challenges. Essentially this can be viewed as integrating the computational capacity of today’s largest supercomputers in 100x less area, with 100x less power, and with significant increases in programmability and applicability.”

Intel’s UHPC team is tasked with supporting and developing technologies to enable the US to build extreme scale computers by the year 2018. In order for this challenging goal to come to fruition, major breakthroughs in hardware and software design will be necessary, far beyond the level of current commercial offerings. Just improving the energy efficiency levels of computers by more than 100x will require significant advancements.

If these goals are achieved, the resulting technology would benefit embedded applications, such as those found in ship, land, and air-based Department of Defense systems. Exteme scale systems would also further other DoD objectives, such as Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR), Electronic Warfare (EW), Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD), battle management and planning, and cyber security.

The initial contract calls for the project to furnish a “proof of concept” implementing extreme scale technologies in a first-pass system design by 2012. A second phase is also outlined, which if DARPA elects to continue, could lead to a completed system design for 2014 timeframe. The full scope of the contract specifies the delivery of a prototype extreme scale system in 2018.

Jülich Supercomputing Centre Debuts Hybrid System

A new GPU-accelerated system will support high-level research at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) in Germany. The hybrid cluster, named JUDGE, for “Jülich Dedicated GPU Environment,” relies on GPUs to boost processing power, while minimizing energy consumption. JUDGE will be used for data-intensive workloads in the fields of biology, medicine and environmental research.

The cluster was built using 54 IBM System x iDataPlex server nodes with 12 cores each and 96 GB memory, as well as 108 NVIDIA M2050 GPUs. The release describes IBM iDataPlex as “a scalable system that can significantly reduce energy consumption, cooling and space requirements.”

Martin Hiegl, the team leader for Deep Computing Sales at IBM Germany, commented, “Together with JSC’s other powerful supercomputers, the new JUDGE cluster supports Germany’s ability to tackle a wide range of scientific and technical challenges.”

Sales leader for HPC at NVIDIA, Stefan Kraemer, believes the hybrid design, which relies on the GPU’s accelerative force, will be the template for the coming exascale generation. “The JUDGE cluster is a good example of how we need to continue to develop computers in the future, following the target of exascale computing. This is valid not only in regard to performance, but also to energy consumption and energy efficiency,” he states, adding: “Pilot projects like JUDGE play a key role in this process and are a key step on the way to hybrid systems.”

JUDGE is not the first IBM/JSC collaboration. The duo united to create the QPACE supercomputer, which consistently ranks among the top ten of the Green500 list of the world’s most energy efficient supercomputers, and also worked together on the Blue Gene/P-based JUGENE, one the most powerful computers in Europe with a peak performance of more than one petaflop.

Bonus News:

There was such a grand allotment of noteworthy news this week that we are presenting our first ever bonus link section:

Cray to Upgrade XE6 Supercomputer at University of Edinburgh

SGI Expands Support for Lustre File System

Solarflare Announces Sale of 10GBASE-T Assets

RunTime Computing Introduces VSI/Pro Support for NVIDIA CUDA

Tilera Adds Wind River Linux and Workbench Support

IBM Introduces Tape Library Technology Capable of Storing Nearly 3 Exabytes of Data

French Engineering Firm EURO/CFD Extends HPC Cluster to 720 Processors

Subscribe to HPCwire's Weekly Update!

Be the most informed person in the room! Stay ahead of the tech trends with industry updates delivered to you every week!

Q&A with Nvidia’s Chief of DGX Systems on the DGX-GB200 Rack-scale System

March 27, 2024

Pictures of Nvidia's new flagship mega-server, the DGX GB200, on the GTC show floor got favorable reactions on social media for the sheer amount of computing power it brings to artificial intelligence.  Nvidia's DGX Read more…

Call for Participation in Workshop on Potential NSF CISE Quantum Initiative

March 26, 2024

Editor’s Note: Next month there will be a workshop to discuss what a quantum initiative led by NSF’s Computer, Information Science and Engineering (CISE) directorate could entail. The details are posted below in a Ca Read more…

Waseda U. Researchers Reports New Quantum Algorithm for Speeding Optimization

March 25, 2024

Optimization problems cover a wide range of applications and are often cited as good candidates for quantum computing. However, the execution time for constrained combinatorial optimization applications on quantum device Read more…

NVLink: Faster Interconnects and Switches to Help Relieve Data Bottlenecks

March 25, 2024

Nvidia’s new Blackwell architecture may have stolen the show this week at the GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, California. But an emerging bottleneck at the network layer threatens to make bigger and brawnier pro Read more…

Who is David Blackwell?

March 22, 2024

During GTC24, co-founder and president of NVIDIA Jensen Huang unveiled the Blackwell GPU. This GPU itself is heavily optimized for AI work, boasting 192GB of HBM3E memory as well as the the ability to train 1 trillion pa Read more…

Nvidia Appoints Andy Grant as EMEA Director of Supercomputing, Higher Education, and AI

March 22, 2024

Nvidia recently appointed Andy Grant as Director, Supercomputing, Higher Education, and AI for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). With over 25 years of high-performance computing (HPC) experience, Grant brings a Read more…

Q&A with Nvidia’s Chief of DGX Systems on the DGX-GB200 Rack-scale System

March 27, 2024

Pictures of Nvidia's new flagship mega-server, the DGX GB200, on the GTC show floor got favorable reactions on social media for the sheer amount of computing po Read more…

NVLink: Faster Interconnects and Switches to Help Relieve Data Bottlenecks

March 25, 2024

Nvidia’s new Blackwell architecture may have stolen the show this week at the GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, California. But an emerging bottleneck at Read more…

Who is David Blackwell?

March 22, 2024

During GTC24, co-founder and president of NVIDIA Jensen Huang unveiled the Blackwell GPU. This GPU itself is heavily optimized for AI work, boasting 192GB of HB Read more…

Nvidia Looks to Accelerate GenAI Adoption with NIM

March 19, 2024

Today at the GPU Technology Conference, Nvidia launched a new offering aimed at helping customers quickly deploy their generative AI applications in a secure, s Read more…

The Generative AI Future Is Now, Nvidia’s Huang Says

March 19, 2024

We are in the early days of a transformative shift in how business gets done thanks to the advent of generative AI, according to Nvidia CEO and cofounder Jensen Read more…

Nvidia’s New Blackwell GPU Can Train AI Models with Trillions of Parameters

March 18, 2024

Nvidia's latest and fastest GPU, codenamed Blackwell, is here and will underpin the company's AI plans this year. The chip offers performance improvements from Read more…

Nvidia Showcases Quantum Cloud, Expanding Quantum Portfolio at GTC24

March 18, 2024

Nvidia’s barrage of quantum news at GTC24 this week includes new products, signature collaborations, and a new Nvidia Quantum Cloud for quantum developers. Wh Read more…

Houston We Have a Solution: Addressing the HPC and Tech Talent Gap

March 15, 2024

Generations of Houstonian teachers, counselors, and parents have either worked in the aerospace industry or know people who do - the prospect of entering the fi Read more…

Alibaba Shuts Down its Quantum Computing Effort

November 30, 2023

In case you missed it, China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba has shut down its quantum computing research effort. It’s not entirely clear what drove the change. Read more…

Nvidia H100: Are 550,000 GPUs Enough for This Year?

August 17, 2023

The GPU Squeeze continues to place a premium on Nvidia H100 GPUs. In a recent Financial Times article, Nvidia reports that it expects to ship 550,000 of its lat Read more…

Shutterstock 1285747942

AMD’s Horsepower-packed MI300X GPU Beats Nvidia’s Upcoming H200

December 7, 2023

AMD and Nvidia are locked in an AI performance battle – much like the gaming GPU performance clash the companies have waged for decades. AMD has claimed it Read more…

DoD Takes a Long View of Quantum Computing

December 19, 2023

Given the large sums tied to expensive weapon systems – think $100-million-plus per F-35 fighter – it’s easy to forget the U.S. Department of Defense is a Read more…

Synopsys Eats Ansys: Does HPC Get Indigestion?

February 8, 2024

Recently, it was announced that Synopsys is buying HPC tool developer Ansys. Started in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1970 as Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc. (SASI) by John Swanson (and eventually renamed), Ansys serves the CAE (Computer Aided Engineering)/multiphysics engineering simulation market. Read more…

Choosing the Right GPU for LLM Inference and Training

December 11, 2023

Accelerating the training and inference processes of deep learning models is crucial for unleashing their true potential and NVIDIA GPUs have emerged as a game- Read more…

Intel’s Server and PC Chip Development Will Blur After 2025

January 15, 2024

Intel's dealing with much more than chip rivals breathing down its neck; it is simultaneously integrating a bevy of new technologies such as chiplets, artificia Read more…

Baidu Exits Quantum, Closely Following Alibaba’s Earlier Move

January 5, 2024

Reuters reported this week that Baidu, China’s giant e-commerce and services provider, is exiting the quantum computing development arena. Reuters reported � Read more…

Leading Solution Providers

Contributors

Comparing NVIDIA A100 and NVIDIA L40S: Which GPU is Ideal for AI and Graphics-Intensive Workloads?

October 30, 2023

With long lead times for the NVIDIA H100 and A100 GPUs, many organizations are looking at the new NVIDIA L40S GPU, which it’s a new GPU optimized for AI and g Read more…

Shutterstock 1179408610

Google Addresses the Mysteries of Its Hypercomputer 

December 28, 2023

When Google launched its Hypercomputer earlier this month (December 2023), the first reaction was, "Say what?" It turns out that the Hypercomputer is Google's t Read more…

AMD MI3000A

How AMD May Get Across the CUDA Moat

October 5, 2023

When discussing GenAI, the term "GPU" almost always enters the conversation and the topic often moves toward performance and access. Interestingly, the word "GPU" is assumed to mean "Nvidia" products. (As an aside, the popular Nvidia hardware used in GenAI are not technically... Read more…

Shutterstock 1606064203

Meta’s Zuckerberg Puts Its AI Future in the Hands of 600,000 GPUs

January 25, 2024

In under two minutes, Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, laid out the company's AI plans, which included a plan to build an artificial intelligence system with the eq Read more…

Google Introduces ‘Hypercomputer’ to Its AI Infrastructure

December 11, 2023

Google ran out of monikers to describe its new AI system released on December 7. Supercomputer perhaps wasn't an apt description, so it settled on Hypercomputer Read more…

China Is All In on a RISC-V Future

January 8, 2024

The state of RISC-V in China was discussed in a recent report released by the Jamestown Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. The report, entitled "E Read more…

Intel Won’t Have a Xeon Max Chip with New Emerald Rapids CPU

December 14, 2023

As expected, Intel officially announced its 5th generation Xeon server chips codenamed Emerald Rapids at an event in New York City, where the focus was really o Read more…

IBM Quantum Summit: Two New QPUs, Upgraded Qiskit, 10-year Roadmap and More

December 4, 2023

IBM kicks off its annual Quantum Summit today and will announce a broad range of advances including its much-anticipated 1121-qubit Condor QPU, a smaller 133-qu Read more…

  • arrow
  • Click Here for More Headlines
  • arrow
HPCwire