Brookhaven’s Advanced Computing Lab Expands with DDN A3I Storage and Nvidia DGX-2

High performance storage vendor DDN, provider of AI and data management software and hardware solutions, today announced Brookhaven National Laboratory has selected DDN’s A3I AI400X all-NVME flash appliance storage for fast optimum experimental design for its Computational Science Initiative (CSI).  Brookhaven National Laboratory plans to use DDN products along with the Nvidia DGX-2 AI supercomputer to expand its project portfolio and Advanced Computing Lab (ACL).

CSI’s Advanced Computing Lab is comprised of high-performance systems and software architectures and will leverage the AI400X in a strategy intended to provide a collaborative environment for scientists and technologists from government laboratories and academia agencies. Designed as a focal point for development, testing and testbed deployment, CSI’s Advanced Computing Lab helps address big data questions and challenges in data-intensive applications within nuclear and particle physics, biology, nanoscience, sustainable energy, environmental science, and homeland security.

“With the ongoing consolidation of its computing infrastructure, Brookhaven National Laboratory will provide a unique opportunity for scientific user capabilities to other research centers via an enhanced data analysis ecosystem,” the lab said in its announcement. “Such technology that facilitates fast data transfer from experimental instruments to the ACL’s analysis system and storage will provide prime use cases for A3I with Nvidia DGX systems. The AI400X, connected to the Nvidia DGX-2, enhances CSI’s system capabilities for AI workloads in the datacenter. Delivering the fastest performance for AI workflows at any scale, the AI400X provides up to 48GBps of throughput, more than 3 million IOPS and up to 256TB of usable NVMe capacity in a 2U form factor. DDN AI400X keeps AI compute systems, often GPU-based, fully saturated with I/O, ensuring maximum utilization while managing tough AI data operations.”

“Brookhaven National Laboratory’s research and capabilities continue to expand in high-performance computing, applied mathematics, data science, and Quantum Information Science,” said James Coomer, senior vice president of products at DDN. “By partnering with Brookhaven National Laboratory and the implementation of the AI400X, we will help propel advances at the frontiers of science throughout the nation and across the world.”