The Future of Memory and Storage (FMS) show, held this week at the Santa Clara Convention Center, might have one of the best spots on the calendar, coinciding with a relatively slow news cycle dominated by quarterly financial results. Despite the relatively quiet week, there are still a few significant developments to note in the world of HPC and AI.

Among the highlights, AMD has released ROCm 6.2, bringing new tools for optimizing AI and HPC workflows. Meanwhile, a new fellowship program from Nordisk and Cleveland Clinic hopes to integrate quantum tech and AI into medical research. Additionally, the 2024 Tapia Award has been awarded to Dr. Chad Jenkins for his contributions to diversifying computing, and the SC24 Test of Time Award has recognized groundbreaking research in GPU clusters for HPC.

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CMD-IT Awards 2024 Tapia Achievement to University of Michigan’s Chad Jenkins

LEMONT, Ill., Aug. 5, 2024 — The Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in IT (CMD-IT) is honoring Dr. Chad Jenkins, University of Michigan Professor of Robotics, as the 2024 recipient of the Richard A. Tapia Achievement Award for Scientific Scholarship, Civic Science, and Diversifying Computing.

“I am deeply honored and grateful to be recognized with the 2024 Richard A. Tapia Achievement Award for Scientific Scholarship, Civic Science and Diversifying Computing,” said Jenkins. “I have been incredibly fortunate to stand on the shoulders of giants across the Tapia community.”

Read the full announcement here.

RIKEN Introduces Virtual Fugaku to Expand Supercomputing Ecosystem and Innovation

KOBE, Japan, Aug. 5, 2024 — The RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS) has unveiled the first version of “Virtual Fugaku,” a project designed to extend the capabilities of the Fugaku supercomputer to cloud services and non-Fugaku systems. This release allows broader access to Fugaku’s advanced computing tools, particularly through integration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), fostering a new ecosystem for scientific and industrial innovation.

“AWS is honored to support RIKEN’s efforts to leverage the full potential of cloud computing through ‘Virtual Fugaku’ and to pioneer new horizons in research and development,” commented Ushio Usami of Amazon Web Services Japan. “By expanding the cutting-edge research results cultivated with Fugaku and incorporating the latest cloud services, the forefront of academic research and society will be connected through the cloud. AWS will serve as a bridge, ushering in a new era of computational science and contributing to the infinite possibilities of Japan’s research fields.”

Read more here.

PSC Receives $3.15M Grant from NIH for Anton 3 Supercomputer

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 5, 2024 — A third-generation Anton supercomputer (Anton 3), developed by D. E. Shaw Research (DESRES), will soon arrive at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC). A $3.15 million, five-year award from the National Institutes of Health will fund the system’s operations, making it available without cost for non-commercial use by biomedical researchers at U.S. universities and other not-for-profit institutions.

“With the latest Anton system, we will be able to provide researchers with a unique resource capable of producing results in days that would take years on any other resource,” said Dr. Philip Blood, PSC’s Scientific Director and Principal Investigator of the Anton project at PSC. “The new system will spark innovative studies that will challenge and shift current paradigms in the simulation of biomolecular systems.”

Read the full article here.

D-Wave and Davidson Garner Political Support for Quantum Computing Initiatives in Alabama

PALO ALTO, Calif. and HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Aug. 6, 2024 — Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle joined D-Wave Quantum Inc. and Huntsville-based Davidson at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium this week to emphasize the strategic significance of placing a D-Wave quantum computer at Davidson’s new global headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama. The forthcoming installation marks a major milestone in the region’s quantum computing leadership.

“Through the Davidson and D-Wave partnership, we will be able to address the important needs of our military by using cutting edge technology and applications that are developed in the U.S.,” said Rep. Dale Strong. “Alabama stands ready with world class research universities to help build the quantum ready workforce that is necessary for our military to address problems now and in the future.”

Read more here.

Novo Nordisk and Cleveland Clinic Announce New Fellowship Program Integrating Quantum Tech and AI in Medicine

CLEVELAND and COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Aug. 6, 2024 — In a new initiative that blends innovation in quantum technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) with clinical applications, the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF), together with the Cleveland Clinic, has launched the Cleveland Clinic – Denmark: Quantum-AI Biomedical Frontiers Fellowship Program.

This program, crafted jointly by the Denmark-based NNF and Cleveland Clinic, is dedicated to integrating quantum technologies and AI into biomedical research and patient care, propelling the application of these technologies in medical science and healthcare.

“The collaboration between NNF and Cleveland Clinic is designed to enable the use of advanced critical technologies, such as quantum technology and AI, in biomedical research and practical clinical applications, ensuring these innovative technologies contribute to the understanding of disease and improving patient outcomes,” said Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Lene Oddershede.

Read the full article here.

Altair Announces Top Innovators in Sustainability with 2024 Enlighten Award Honors

TROY, Mich., Aug. 6, 2024 — Altair has named the winners of the 2024 Altair Enlighten Award. Presented in association with the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), the award honors the greatest sustainability and lightweighting advancements that successfully reduce carbon footprint, mitigate water and energy consumption, and leverage material reuse and recycling efforts.

“The Enlighten Award is the leading award highlighting the automotive industry’s finest innovations in sustainable technology. We are thrilled to once again recognize the organizations creating a more sustainable future,” said James R. Scapa, founder and chief executive officer, Altair. “This year’s winners can consider themselves the best innovators meeting those challenging targets.”

Read the full announcement here.

EuroHPC Initiates Tender Process for New Quantum Computer EuroQCS-Italy in Bologna

BOLOGNA, Italy, Aug. 6, 2024 — The European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) has launched a call for tender for the installation of EuroQCS-Italy, a new EuroHPC quantum computer to be integrated into the EuroHPC pre-exascale system Leonardo.

EuroQCS-Italy will be a quantum computer or -simulator based on neutral atoms. The system should provide at least 50 physical qubits in digital mode, or 140 qubits in analogue mode. The new system will be hosted by CINECA in Bologna and integrated into the EuroHPC pre-exascale system Leonardo.

Read more here.

Riverlane Raises $75M to Accelerate Quantum Error Correction Development

CAMBRIDGE, England and BOSTON, Aug. 6, 2024 — Riverlane this week announced that it has raised $75 million in Series C funding to deliver its quantum error correction (QEC) roadmap. The funding will enable Riverlane to expand operations to meet surging global market demand for QEC technology, with the goal of achieving one million error-free quantum computer operations by 2026. The round was led by Planet First Partners.

“Quantum error correction is the critical enabler for the industry’s next huge wave of progress, from today’s small error-prone machines to large and reliable quantum computers that will start a new age of human progress as significant as the digital revolution,” said Riverlane Founder and CEO Steve Brierley. “Our partners recognise the value in working with Riverlane to deliver a solution that fits their needs – we are building the right product at the right time to seize this opportunity.”

Read more here.

AMD Releases ROCm 6.2 Featuring New Omnitrace and Omniperf Profilers

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 6, 2024 — AMD this week announced the release of ROCm 6.2, bringing significant advancements to its open stack software platform. The update includes expanded vLLM support to improve AI inference on Instinct accelerators, integration of Bitsandbytes quantization for enhanced memory efficiency, and new Omnitrace and Omniperf profiling tools to optimize AI and HPC workflows.

Additionally, a new offline installer simplifies deployment, and broader FP8 support further boosts performance, solidifying ROCm 6.2 as a critical tool for next-generation AI and high-performance computing development.

Read more here.

QuEra Computing’s Research Shows Over Half of Quantum Experts See Rapid Progress

BOSTON, Aug. 6, 2024 — New research from QuEra Computing reveals that over half of quantum academics, scientists, and professionals (51%) believe the technology is making faster progress than they expected, with 40% saying it will become a superior alternative to classical computing for certain workloads within the next five years. The findings also highlight the truly disruptive potential of the technology, with a majority expecting quantum computing to solve problems that were previously unsolvable.

“Recent major breakthroughs have significantly accelerated quantum computing development and reduced the timescales for adoption,” said QuEra Chief Commercial Officer Yuval Boger. “The first computer capable of achieving quantum advantage is slated to hit the market in 2026 and companies realize they will soon be in a race for first-mover advantage. We’ve seen a huge shift in companies moving from experimenting and educating their workforce, to preparing to capitalize the very minute quantum advantage computers hit the market.”

Read more here.

IonQ Wins $5.7M DOD Contract for Networked Quantum Computing System

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Aug. 6, 2024 — IonQ this week announced that it has won a contract through a competitive solicitation with the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) to design a first-of-its-kind, networked quantum computing system for the Department of Defense (DOD).

The first phase of the project – awarded at $5.7 million – will focus on the design phase of the quantum system. Future phases of the project, which have yet to be awarded, include the construction, delivery, and maintenance of these systems.

“Delivering a first-of-its-kind, blind quantum computing system will enable ARLIS to test and validate communications for the DOD,” said Peter Chapman, President and CEO, IonQ. “Through our collaboration with ARLIS and UMD teams, we look forward to each phase of development, construction, and deployment as we anticipate significant breakthroughs in the development of blind quantum computing protocols.”

Read the full announcement here.

XConn and MemVerge Showcase Scalable CXL Memory for AI and HPC Applications at FMS 2024

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 7, 2024 — XConn and MemVerge this week demonstrated the industry’s first scalable CXL memory sharing solution during the Future of Memory and Storage (FMS) 2024.

“Our benchmarking shows that CXL memory sharing is an exceptionally effective solution to improve the performance and reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) for in-memory databases such as SAP HANA,” said Gerry Fan, CEO, XConn. “During FMS, we will further demonstrate, with MemVerge, the dramatic performance impact CXL memory sharing can have for AI applications, especially for inference of various AI models. By combining MemVerge’s intelligent tiering software with XConn’s high performance CXL interconnect switch, we are showing just how effective CXL is at accelerating high demand applications.”

Read more here.

Terra Quantum Secures SBIR Contract to Develop Quantum-Resistant Network for US Air Force

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2024 — Terra Quantum has announced a new initiative to study the feasibility of developing a quantum-resistant network for the U.S. Department of the Air Force (DAF). Leveraging advanced post-quantum and quantum cryptography will make unauthorized interception of transmitted data physically impossible.

“The world faces ever-increasing cybersecurity attacks that threaten our critical infrastructure,” said Markus Pflitsch, CEO of Terra Quantum. “Our technology and solutions help protect sensitive data and set new industry standards for quantum-secure communication. This project also will show the advantages of combining multiple technologies to build secure networks.”

Read more here.

Cerebras Announces New Board Members and Chief Financial Officer

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 7, 2024 — Cerebras Systems this week announced the appointment of new independent Board members Glenda Dorchak, a former IBM, Intel and Spansion executive, and Paul Auvil, former CFO of VMWare and Proofpoint. Mr. Auvil will chair the Cerebras Audit Committee, and Ms. Dorchak will chair its Compensation Committee. Cerebras also announced the appointment of Bob Komin as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

“I am honored to join Cerebras at such an exciting time in its incredible history of innovation and leadership in the AI industry,” said Komin. “Cerebras is a world-class innovator of generative AI, and I look forward to working closely with the leadership team to build on the company’s rapid growth.”

Read the full announcement here.

MSI Showcases CXL Memory Expansion Server at FMS 2024 Event

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 7, 2024 — MSI this week showcased its new CXL (Compute Express Link)-based server platform powered by 4th Gen AMD EPYC processors at The Future of Memory and Storage 2024. The CXL memory expansion server is designed to enhance In-Memory Database, Electronic Design Automation, and High Performance Computing application performance.

“By adopting innovative CXL technology to expand memory capacity and bandwidth, MSI’s CXL memory expansion server integrates cutting-edge technology from AMD EPYC processors, CXL memory devices, and advanced management software,” said Danny Hsu, General Manager of Enterprise Platform Solutions. “In collaboration with key players in the CXL ecosystem, including AMD, Samsung, and MemVerge, MSI and its partners are driving CXL technology to meet the demands of high-performance data center computing.”

Read more here.

Supermicro Announces $14.94B in Net Sales for Fiscal Year 2024, Driven by AI Infrastructure Demand

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 7, 2024 — Supermicro reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2024, ending June 30, 2024. The company announced fourth-quarter net sales of $5.31 billion, up from $3.85 billion in the previous quarter and $2.18 billion in the same quarter last year. Full-year net sales reached $14.94 billion, a significant increase from $7.12 billion in the prior year. Net income for fiscal year 2024 was $1.21 billion, compared to $640 million in fiscal year 2023.

Additionally, the company’s Board of Directors authorized a 10-for-1 forward stock split, with trading on a split-adjusted basis expected to begin on October 1, 2024. Supermicro has also provided guidance for fiscal year 2025, projecting net sales between $26.0 billion and $30.0 billion.

Read the full announcement here.

AIC Displays Latest Innovations in AI Storage at FMS

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 7, 2024 — AIC Inc. this week unveiled its latest innovations in AI storage solutions at the Future of Memory and Storage (FMS) show.

Attendees were invited to explore these new technologies at Booth #915, where AIC showcased its all-new F2026 Inference AI Server and the advanced EB202-CP, alongside its latest developments in liquid cooling solutions. AIC also introduced its enhanced liquid cooling solutions, which include open-loop, closed-loop, and pump-less closed-loop configurations.

Read more here.

SC24 Test of Time Award Goes to 2004 GPU Cluster Paper Recognized for Foundational HPC Work

ATLANTA, Aug. 8, 2024 — The visionary team behind the 2004 paper, “GPU Cluster for High Performance Computing,” has been awarded this year’s SC Test of Time Award. Led by Professor Arie Kaufman of Stony Brook University, the team’s work laid the foundation for the GPU-powered supercomputing landscape that dominates every major national lab and every single one of the top supercomputers in the world.

The award-winning team included Kaufman, Dr. Suzanne Yoakum-Stover, Dr. Zhe Fan, and Dr. Feng Qui. Their research is perhaps the first documented application of GPUs for high-performance computing (HPC), a concept that has since become standard practice in HPC and artificial intelligence. More than the common standard, GPU computing today represents the largest paradigm shift to data center computing in decades.

Read more here.

D-Wave Reports 2nd Quarter 2024 Results

PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 8, 2024 — D-Wave Quantum Inc. this week announced financial results for its second fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2024. Net loss for the second quarter of fiscal 2024 was $17.8 million, a decrease of $8.4 million from the fiscal 2023 second quarter net loss of $26.2 million.

“Our second quarter results show continued traction on all fronts – revenue, bookings, customer acquisition, liquidity and technical advancements,” said Dr. Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave. “There is rapidly growing awareness of annealing quantum computing and its ability to deliver business benefits today, and the market is responding. This is further strengthened by our product development activities in hardware (Advantage2 prototype), software (new nonlinear hybrid solver and fast anneal feature), and Quantum Artificial Intelligence. Our momentum as one of the few companies in the world leading the quantum transformation is evident.”

Read the announcement here.

LightSolver to Receive €12.5M from EIC Accelerator Program for Optical Supercomputing

TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 8, 2024 — LightSolver has announced that it has been selected for the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Program. The company will receive an initial grant of €2.5 million from the EIC Fund combined with a future equity investment of €10 million, totaling €12.5M. This recognition places LightSolver among 68 companies chosen from a highly competitive pool of 969 applicants.

“We’re humbled to join the rows of trailblazing startups in fields such as sustainability, MedTech, and space technology that have received funding from the EIC,” said LightSolver CEO and co-founder Ruti Ben-Shlomi, Ph.D. “The amount of energy consumed by computing globally has been growing exponentially and is becoming unsustainable, hence the need for a new computing paradigm. Our laser-based processor can tackle large and complex computations faster than GPUs. It is also much less environmentally demanding than quantum computers, requiring no vacuum or ultracold temperatures which means that it can live in a data center.”

Read the announcement here.

DOE Announces $4.6M to Fund Public-Private Partnerships for Fusion Research

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2024 — In a continuing effort to forge and fund public-private partnerships to accelerate fusion research, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) this week awarded $4.6 million in 17 awards to U.S. businesses via the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) program.

“The selections today showcase our continuing commitment to the fusion industry in the U.S. and our goal to share widely unique capabilities at national laboratories and U.S. universities,” said Jean Paul Allain, DOE Associate Director of Science for Fusion Energy Sciences. “Partnering with businesses and working together is a win-win for our fusion industry, the DOE, and the nation.”

Read the announcement here.

LANL and SK hynix Demonstrate New OCS System for Efficient Data Analysis at FMS

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 8, 2024 — This week at FMS, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and SK hynix demonstrated a novel Object Computational Storage (OCS) system being used with real scientific data analysis that employs Paraview/Visualization Tool Kit (VTK), a broadly adopted scientific visualization software stack.

“Through the close collaboration between Los Alamos National Lab’s high-performance computing expertise and SK hynix’s advanced storage solutions, we have been able to pioneer an innovative object-based computational storage system,” said Sungsoo Ryu, head of memory systems research at SK hynix. “This novel approach to data processing minimizes redundant data transfers between analytics applications and storage, and lightens the storage software stack. This accelerates the performance of data-intensive applications such as big data analytics, artificial intelligence and more. SK hynix is striving to develop an analytics ecosystem in collaboration with industry partners.”

Read more here.

Quantum Machines Announces Inaugural Adaptive Quantum Circuits Conference

TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 8, 2024 — Quantum Machines this week announced the inaugural Adaptive Quantum Circuits (AQC) conference, set to take place September 25-27, 2024, at the Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club in Brewster, Massachusetts. This first-of-its-kind event will convene the foremost experts from industry, big tech, and top universities to advance the leading edge of hybrid quantum-classical methods.

“Adaptive quantum circuits are proving to be a promising avenue towards practical quantum computers,” said Dr. Itamar Sivan, CEO and co-founder of Quantum Machines. “By integrating real-time measurement and classical feedback into quantum algorithms, these circuits demonstrate superior performance over traditional approaches in key computational tasks. Moreover, this approach is accelerating our path toward practical quantum computing by extending the effective connectivity and scalability of quantum processors. The AQC conference will serve as a crucial platform for researchers and industry leaders to collaborate on refining these techniques and translating them into tangible quantum computing applications.”

Read more here.

Marvell Unveils Latest Cloud Storage and CXL Memory Tech at FMS 2024

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 8, 2024 — Marvell Technology, Inc. this week showcased its industry-leading cloud storage and CXL memory technologies for AI, ML and other data-intensive workloads at the Flash Memory Summit.

Marvell was honored with the “Most Innovative Sustainability Technology” award for the Marvell Structera X Compute Express Link (CXL) memory-expansion controller at the FMS awards ceremony on August 6, 2024. Structera X expanders enable terabytes of memory to be added to general-purpose servers and address high-capacity memory applications such as in-memory databases.

Read the full announcement here.

GIGABYTE Launches R-Series Servers Designed for Cloud Services and Data-Intensive Applications

Aug. 9, 2024 — Giga Computing has released two GIGABYTE R-series servers, the R183-ZK0 and R283-ZK0, with enhanced performance and reliability for cloud services and data-intensive applications. These highly scalable memory capacity servers support AMD EPYC 9004 processors and are ready for select 5th generation AMD EPYC processors with up to 192 CPU cores.

These new GIGABYTE servers are the first and only ones in the market that are one node with two CPUs that support 48 memory DIMMs. GIGABYTE’s history in motherboard design and engineering with great signal integrity make this possible, a server with 12TB memory using 256GB DDR5 3DS RDIMMs. To accommodate a 12-memory channel platform with a 2DPC configuration and without compromising, a new memory layout was developed.

Read more here.

Rigetti Computing Reports 2nd Quarter 2024 Financial Results

BERKELEY, Calif., Aug. 9, 2024 — Rigetti Computing reported its second quarter 2024 financial results, highlighting $3.1 million in revenue against $18.1 million in operating expenses, leading to a net loss of $12.4 million.

The company also raised $27.8 million through its ATM program during the quarter, bolstering its cash reserves to $100.5 million.

Read the full announcement here.