Posts tagged with HPC
AMD CPU and GPU Technology – Flying High in the TOP500 Supercomputer List
Posted by Margaret Lewis in 4:29 PM
Loading ...While a lot of folks know me for having a passion (or is it an obsession) for virtualization and cloud computing – many people don’t realize that I am really a refugee from the world of High Performance Computing. This week I get to put on my propeller hat and attend SC09 in Portland to catch up on the leading innovations – and have a chance to say “Aloha” to my former colleagues at the Maui High Performance Computing Center (MHPCC).
One of the big events of this annual supercomputing conference is the release of the TOP500 Supercomputing List. In my past life I would wait impatiently to see how MHPCC systems would rank. Now I wait impatiently to see how AMD-based systems all over the world stack up. There are no disappointments in the 34th TOP500 List published this week, featuring 42 systems running AMD technology.
Five of these systems are located the elite class of the top 10 supercomputers in the world. Here are some “fun facts” for your enjoyment:
- The #1 supercomputer is Jaguar located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory – a Cray XT5 system running Six-Core AMD OpteronTM processors. Jaguar was originally built using Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors and over the past few months technicians at the Tennessee lab have been replacing many of those chips with newer six cores models. You can get more details on this very fast cat, which now features almost a quarter million high-performance cores, in John Fruehe’s blog.
- The #5 supercomputer is Tianhe-1, which represents the coming era of heterogeneous computing. Tainhe-1 was developed by NUDT for the National SuperComputer Center in Tianjin. It is the world’s highest performing GPU-based supercomputer ever and is fueled by ATI RadeonTM RV770 architecture, demonstrating the powerful computational capabilities of AMD’s GPU technology. Much like the x86 processor based systems, which first entered the TOP500 list about 10 years ago and now account for over 430 systems, this is just the beginning of a new trend – and we are already at the top already.
- The #2 system is Roadrunner, located at Los Alamos National Labs. This is another example of a hybrid computing system, utilizing both IBM PowerXCell and AMD Opteron processor technology. This system became the world’s first TOP500 petaflops system in 2008 and has previously held the #1 slot on the TOP500.
- The #3 system, Kraken is a Cray XT5 system located at the National Institute for Computational Sciences at the University of Tennessee. It is running Six Core AMD Opteron processors, and is one of the most powerful supercomputer funded by the NSF TeraGrid as well as one of the world’s largest computational platforms for open scientific research. Here is a link to a video that showcases how this powerful supercomputer is being used by the research community.
- My Alma Mater, the University of Texas, has its Ranger system located at the Texas Advanced Computing Center as #9 on the list. This system is also running Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor technology and provides unprecedented computational capabilities to the national research community. Go Horns!
And if you widen your view and take a look at #11 thru #20 on the TOP500 List, you will find that ½ of these systems are also running AMD Opteron processors. So while our competitor might claim quantity, we are thrilled to highlight the quality showing of AMD technology in the 34th TOP500. This reflects our drive to deliver leading edge innovation to the market. You can find more details about what we are planning in the future from the materials we presented on Financial Analyst Day on Nov. 11th.
And congratulations to the MHPCC, which has systems ranked at #58 and #114 on the TOP500 List. Maui no ka oi.
Margaret Lewis (@margaretjlewis) is a Product Marketing Director at AMD. Her postings are her own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.
Of Cloud and High Performance Computing Clusters
Posted by Margaret Lewis in 4:05 PM
The Summer Solstice kicked off an interesting week featuring two computing conferences that at first glance seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum. From June 23 to June 26: the International Supercomputing Conference in Hamburg, with a focus on bleeding edge, high performance computing (HPC). June 25: the GigaOM Network presents a premiere event for Cloud Computing and Internet infrastructure, Structure09 in San Francisco (I’ll post more on my thoughts from this conference tomorrow).
Now you might ask, “what do these events have in common?” The answer ─the heart and soul of both HPC and Cloud Computing is the “compute cluster” -an approach that links groups of computers together and has been driven into mainstream by x86 computers. And while the applications these clusters are driving and the data they are delivering might be drastically different – there are some basic commonalities on an infrastructure level.
Both types of clusters thrive on multi-core processors. More cores typically deliver more compute capabilities that can translate into performing more calculations for the HPC world and handling more transactions for the Cloud world. Power consumption is a nagging problem since larger and more powerful clusters commonly eat up a lot of energy and demand a lot of cooling. Both are driving new advancements in our digital world: HPC clusters help us solve some of today’s most complex problems while cloud computing provides the framework for searching and sharing the answers. And, of course, there is this bothersome economy influencing how many servers can be added to any type of data center.
So, what is AMD doing to design for both types of clusters? We continue to drive a balance of price, performance, and power into our processor architectures. Our server processor road map demonstrates an understanding of the real needs of both HPC and cloud clusters. Our G34 platforms, under the platform name of “Maranello,” are designed for expandability and performance. Our C32 platforms, under the platform name “San Marino,” help provide the low cost and power consumption that many cloud providers require.
I spent time last month in AMD’s Bellevue office and met with a talented group of AMD engineers who are working on further developing their understanding of the hardware and software requirements for cloud computing so they can further optimize AMD processor-based platforms. As a company we are continuing our efforts to help refine the underlying technology that will enable both types of clusters in the future─toward the goal of improved platform power efficiency, software methodologies to efficiently drive heterogeneous cores, enhanced graphics capabilities for improved user experience, and the continued maturation of virtualization for x86-based computers.
My colleague John Fruehe published a blog that takes a closer look at why he believes the AMD OpteronTM processor is ideal for supercomputing. I will similarly be posting a blog on cloud computing and giving you my first hand view of the Structure09 conference.
I can’t resist ending on a HPC note – particularly since, in a galaxy far away (it was actually last century), I was a part of the HPC community, working at the Maui High Performance Computing Center. Take a close look at the Top500 list and notice that AMD Opteron processors are in the #1 and #2 supercomputers – as are 9 of the top 20 computers. At AMD we design for innovation and quality!
Let me know your thoughts – what similarities do you see between HPC and Cloud clusters?
Margaret Lewis, director, AMD commercial software and solutions
Margaret Lewis (@margaretjlewis) is a Product Marketing Director at AMD. Her postings are her own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.
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