IBM and the Spanish government have introduced a new
supercomputer they hope will be the most powerful in Europe, and
one of the 10 most powerful in the world.
Called MareNostrum, the supercomputer uses a cluster of 2,520
eServer BladeCenter JS20 systems running the Linux operating
system. IBM expects it to be the first supercomputer to attain a
top-10 ranking using blade server technology.
IBM and Spain's ministry of education and science are building
MareNostrum to help with scientific and industrial research into
the human body, meteorology, environment and industrial processes.
The system will move from its current location, an IBM facility in
Madrid, to its permanent home at Barcelona's Polytechnic University
by the end of the year.
The system currently comprises 3,564 PowerPC processors but will
have 4,564 by the time it is fully completed.
IBM expects peak performance to reach 40Tflops. The computer has
already achieved a sustained performance of 20.53Tflops, with a
peak performance of 31.36Tflops, according to the company.
MareNostrum's unveiling comes days before the Top500
Supercomputer Sites list is released tomorrow. IBM hopes the list
will confirm its ranking predictions for MareNostrum.
The company said MareNostrum's use of blade technology had
produced significant cost savings, but gave no figures to back this
up.
"This is certainly a cheaper technology to pull together and
will help advance Spain as a research and development centre," said
IBM deep computing sales manager Caroline Isaac.
MareNostrum occupies a floor area of 160 square metres - less
than 5% of the footprint of Earth Simulator, the current number-one
supercomputer. According to IBM, MareNostrum requires only 600
kilowatts of power and does not need additional cooling
systems.
"It doesn't require water cooling, and in terms of total cost of
ownership that's as cheap as it gets," Isaac said.
Scientists are hoping to use the supercomputer for research into
the life sciences and health care, including studies in
environmental changes, the human genome and natural disasters.
Industrial and management processes for business applications in
the aerospace, automobile and pharmaceutical industries are also
anticipated.
Scarlet Pruitt writes for IDG News Service