In this video, Torsten Hoefler from ETH Zurich presents: Scientific Benchmarking of Parallel Computing Systems. “Measuring and reporting performance of parallel computers constitutes the basis for scientific advancement of high-performance computing. Most scientific reports show performance improvements of new techniques and are thus obliged to ensure reproducibility or at least interpretability. Our investigation of a stratified sample of 120 papers across three top conferences in the field shows that the state of the practice is not sufficient.”
OCF Deploys Largest IBM POWER9 Machine Learning Cluster in the UK
December 10, 2018 by Leave a Comment
With a new upgrade, the University of Birmingham is set to benefit from the largest IBM POWER9 machine learning cluster in the UK, delivering unprecedented performance for AI workloads. Working with OCF, the high-performance compute, the University will integrate a total of 11 IBM POWER9-based IBM Power Systems servers into its existing HPC infrastructure. “With our early deployment of the two IBM POWER9 servers we have seen what is possible. By scaling up, we can keep-pace with the escalating demand and offer the computational capacity and capability to attract leading researchers to the University.”
Intel Pushes the Envelope at SC18
December 10, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Intel has a long history of making important announcements at the annual Supercomputer shows, and this year was no exception. This guest post from Intel covers what new technology was front and center from Intel at SC18, including its Cascade Lake advanced performance processors, Intel Optane Persistent Memory and more. Learn more about these new technologies designed to accelerate the convergence of high-performance computing and AI.
Video: How OpenACC Enables Scientists to port their codes to GPUs and Beyond
December 9, 2018 by 2 Comments
In this video SC18, Jack Wells from ORNL describes how OpenACC enables scientists to port their codes to GPUs and other HPC platforms. “OpenACC, a directive-based high-level parallel programming model, has gained rapid momentum among scientific application users – the key drivers of the specification. The user-friendly programming model has facilitated acceleration of over 130 applications including CAM, ANSYS Fluent, Gaussian, VASP, Synopsys on multiple platforms and is also seen as an entry-level programming model for the top supercomputers (Top500 list) such as Summit, Sunway Taihulight, and Piz Daint. As in previous years, this BoF invites scientists, programmers, and researchers to discuss their experiences in adopting OpenACC for scientific applications, learn about the roadmaps from implementers and the latest developments in the specification.”
Equus Rolls out G2660 2U 2xGPU Server for HPC & Ai
December 9, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Today Equus Compute Solutions rolled out its new G2660 2U 2xGPU server, ideal for artificial intelligence and deep learning environments. This GPU platform offers higher performance, reduced rack space requirements, and lower power consumption compared with traditional CPU-centric server platforms. :Our customers have been asking for the flexibility to source GPUs in different ways on high performance servers,” said Lee Abrahamson, CTO of Equus Compute Solutions. “Our GPU servers, such as the G2660 server, are the ideal cost-optimized solutions for a wide range of applications and workloads. At the same time, these innovative platforms provide benefits of scale and volume, component standardization, ease of service logistics, and the means to avoid vendor lock-in.”
Video: Arm + Lustre in HPC
December 8, 2018 by Leave a Comment
In this video from DDN booth at SC18, Brent Gorda from ARM presents: Arm + Lustre in HPC. At the show, DDN announced that its Whamcloud division is delivering professional support for Lustre clients on Arm architectures. With this support offering, organizations can confidently use Lustre in production environments, introduce new clients into existing Lustre infrastructures, and deploy Arm-based clusters of any size within test, development or production environments. As the use of Lustre continues to expand across HPC, artificial intelligence and data-intensive, performance-driven applications, the deployment of alternative architectures is on the rise.
Job of the Week: HPC Software Developer at the HDF Group
December 8, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The good folks at the Hierarchical Data Format (HDF) Group in Champaign, Illinois is seeking an HPC Software Developer in our Job of the Week. “The HDF Group provides a unique suite of technologies and supporting services that facilitate the management of large and complex data collections. Its mission is to develop, advance and support HD technologies and ensure long-term access to HDF data. HDF technologies are used in virtually every industry and scientific domain to meet mission critical data management needs.”
Podcast Looks at Exascale Computing for Forefront Scientific Problems
December 7, 2018 by Leave a Comment
In this edition of Let’s Talk Exascale, Fred Streitz of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory describes his team’s efforts to develop supercomputer applications that address forefront scientific problems by pushing the limits of leadership-class computing. “At SC18, Fred Streitz gave a talk in the US Department of Energy booth on the topic “Machine Learning and Predictive Simulation: HPC and the US Cancer Moonshot on Sierra.” As a guest on the ECP podcast, he provides an overview and some insights from his booth talk.”
HPE Powers VENTURI Formula E Team
December 7, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Monaco-based VENTURI Formula E Team recently announced that HPE is now the team’s Official Technology Partner. Through the partnership, HPE is dedicating a number of world-class technical specialists to the VENTURI Formula E Team and developing a technological innovation strategy for the Monaco-based team, incorporating next-generation platforms and world-first artificial intelligence (AI) solutions set to elevate both efficiency and performance. “I’m delighted to welcome Hewlett Packard Enterprise on board. There is no doubt that this partnership will allow VENTURI Formula E Team to grow. Due to their great expertise, I’m convinced that HPE will fast-track the development of the team and enhance the corporate structure. Given that Formula E is a very dynamic and fast-paced environment, I know that HPE will enjoy this unique and hopefully rewarding journey we are embarking on together.”
Beyond Semiconductors: New Quantum Materials could Pave the Way
December 6, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Researchers from Intel and UC Berkeley are looking beyond current transistor technology and preparing the way for a new type of memory and logic circuit that could someday be in every computer on the planet. In a new paper published in the journal Nature, the researchers propose a way to turn relatively new types of materials, multiferroics and topological materials, into logic and memory devices that will be 10 to 100 times more energy-efficient than foreseeable improvements to current microprocessors, which are based on CMOS (complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor).
