Collegiate Times

Three-hundred-and-twenty-four Mac Pro systems have been integrated into one multi-million dollar supercomputer cluster located in the Center for High End Computing that will help professors and students at Virginia Tech.

The supercomputer cluster, known as SystemG,  can run at speeds up to 29 teraflops and will have the software to run as one machine, but can solve complex problems with the knowledge of 324 computers, said associate professor Kirk Cameron.

"If you have a laptop with a weather model or simulation that could predict the weather it might take six months," Cameron said. "But it could take six minutes with a supercomputer, and that is important, especially if you're trying to track a storm or where a hurricane could go."

Biologists will be able to use this supercomputer to see how viruses attack the body. "These kinds of models can help scientists show the rate at which the virus will be spreading," Cameron said. "They can put things in place to stop the viruses or make human lives better."

Barbara Ryder, the head of the computer science department, said that this supercomputer is one of the newest advances in computer hardware -- many multiprocessors on a chip.

"This is important to our department because we have a resource that faculty and students can be exposed to that is state of the art," Ryder said. "This is a very exciting idea and advancement to take hardware and show that scientists can accomplish computations to do complicated science."

Cameron has been conducting research the last six to seven years to allow SystemG to run as efficiently as possible.

"This is really important to me," Cameron said. "And we have had many successes in making advances for green technology; this will be a great resource to advance the field of green computing."

 Cameron said SystemG will be a machine that is capable of changing power consumed while running.

"We want to make sure the computer can solve problems but that the power used will be consumed wisely and efficiently in a green way."

Calvin Ribbens, the associate department head of computer science, worked on the previous supercomputer -- System10.

"SystemG has two main differences (from) System10," Ribbens said. "It's newer than the previous one that was built four years ago, the individual computers are newer and can run faster; System10 used 1,100 computers. This supercomputer can also vary how fast it can run and has the capability to be power-aware and can save electricity and energy."

Ribbens will also be working with graduate students to write software for the supercomputer.

"There's more complicated system software to make a supercomputer work," Ribbens said. "Basically the trick is to make (all these) computers look like one to the computer."

Research will also be conducted to provide software for the supercomputer that uses less power.

The supercomputer will also be a building block for larger projects that are ongoing, Cameron said.

"Over 15 faculty members will be using this machine," Cameron said. "Some have funded research projects to make discoveries and use the machine as a basis to make other grant proposals to science and health foundations."

In order to build SystemG, The National Science Foundation and Virginia Tech's Center for High End Computing, colluded in the project that cost upwards of $1.1 million

Most of the money came from NSF and Tech had to compete for the money, Cameron said.