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js33
08-29-2003, 02:20 PM
Here's a snippet from the website. Fastest Open (meaning unclassified) supercomputer uses Itanium 2 processors.

PNNL supercomputer fastest open system in U.S. (http://www.pnl.gov/news/2003/03-33.htm)

Cheers,
JS

PNNL supercomputer fastest open system in U.S.
11.8T HP supercomputer with Intel Itanium2 processors running Linux
reaches full operations.
RICHLAND, Wash. — The Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is now home to the United States’ fastest operational unclassified supercomputer. The laboratory’s 11.8 teraflops industry-standard HP Integrity system came to full operating power this week, marking the next advance in high-performance computing designed to enable new insights in the environmental and molecular sciences, including chemistry, biology, climate and subsurface chemistry.

Based on peak performance, the PNNL machine is the fifth fastest system in the world and is the fastest unclassified computer operating in the U.S. The laboratory ordered the supercomputer from HP in April 2002.

“Computational resources such as the PNNL supercomputer are essential to DOE’s commitment to provide the most innovative solutions to critical energy and environmental problems,” said Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham. “DOE continues to demonstrate its competitiveness in high-performance computing capabilities by investing in new systems and new approaches to scientific inquiry.”

The PNNL system is the world’s fastest supercomputer based on the Linux operating system and is the largest machine ever built using Intel’s 64-bit architecture.

“With this machine, PNNL is providing a balanced architecture that is designed specifically for environmental, chemical and biological sciences and the priorities of DOE’s Office of Science,” said PNNL Director Len Peters. “The laboratory led the supercomputer industry by ordering one of the first large cluster systems in 1996, and has once again demonstrated that an investment in mission-focused computing can open new scientific frontiers. We’re pleased we could partner with HP on such an accomplishment.”

PNNL’s supercomputer draws its speed and computing power from nearly 2,000 next-generation Intel® Itanium®-2 processors code-named “Madison,” running on industry-standard HP Integrity servers. Linking the Intel Itanium2 chips is a Quadrics interconnect that provides communication between processors and allows scientists to sustain a high performance level. HP is providing services to customers that help manage, deploy and enhance the power and ability of supercomputing.

gjjackson
08-30-2003, 02:41 PM
I heard about that. 11 teraflops is phenonmenal. I remember the first supercomputer used in animation. It was the Cray X-MP, used in the Last Starfighter. Funny that it ran at 100mhz and had to be liquid cooled. If I remember it was programmed using Forth. The animations could probably be done in seconds now. If I recall the PC's at the time were 8mhz and the industry at the time were planning on having 100mhz PC's on the market by the year 2000. At that time I thought that was phenomenal.

js33
08-30-2003, 03:08 PM
Yeah I would like to run Lightwave on that system. Also it is phenominal how fast things are improving but at the same time we always want more speed.

Cheers,
JS