STFC and Intel link up to drive innovation for the next generation of supercomputer
4 Jul 2014 04:24 PM
Global microprocessor
giant Intel® has chosen the Hartree Centre, part of the Science and
Technology Facilities Council (STFC), as its newest ‘Intel® Parallel
Computing Center’ (Intel® PCC). This new collaboration allows Intel
and STFC’s Hartree Centre to work together on designing and testing
software for the world’s most advanced microprocessors, the building
blocks of the supercomputers of the future.
Initial focus will be on
developments that will maximise energy efficiency in supercomputing power, and
also on real UK industry requirements, starting with the optimisation of
weather prediction software for future generations of the UK Met Office’s
supercomputers.
David Willetts, the UK Minister
for Universities and Science, said: “Intel has signalled a huge vote
of confidence in UK research expertise by choosing the Hartree centre as its
newest Intel Parallel Computing Centre. Forging these strong business and
research partnerships is vital to cementing the UKs future as a global leader
in this field and our role in developing the supercomputers of the
future.”
High Performance Computing (HPC)
is essential to tackling the world's health, energy and environmental
challenges, from predicting climate change to developing new medical treatments
or fuel sources, using supercomputers that can perform trillions of
calculations simultaneously per second. This is known as parallel computing.
Today’s research faces limitations due to the amount of data, time and
energy it takes to run these calculations. As supercomputers become
increasingly parallel, this in turn requires whole new generations of software
and microprocessor technologies that can cope with performing the billions and
trillions of calculations per second.
Stephan Gillich, Director
Technical Computing EMEA, Intel GmbH said:“Intel is pleased to be
working with STFC’s Hartree Centre as the newest member of our Intel
Parallel Computing Center program. By working together we enable modernization
of key applications to unlock performance gains that come through
parallelism.”
The Intel® PCC at the
Hartree Centre, which sits within the Sci-Tech Daresbury science and innovation
campus, will also develop, test and optimise a next generation of software, the
performance of which will be dramatically improved when operating on
Intel’s advanced microprocessor technologies. This processor technology
is significant to the development of an exascale supercomputer that may exist
within the next five years. Both are already part of the Tianhe-2 supercomputer
in China, the most powerful supercomputer in the world today.
Cliff Brereton, Director of
STFC’s Hartree Centre said: “The Hartree Centre is
thrilled to join the Intel PCC program, through which we’ll be able to
push all existing boundaries in hardware and software. This agreement will
bring software solutions in areas of utmost importance to our economy and
society, from weather prediction, to industrial applications and materials
science. STFC and Intel share common goals that are to drive innovation for the
next generation of supercomputer, to make HPC more accessible to industry,
whilst training for our budding scientists and engineers of the future who will
apply these new technologies to challenges of economic and societal
importance.”
END
Notes to
Editors
STFC’s Hartree Centre was
officially opened by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon George Osborne, on
Friday 1 February 2013, and more recently has benefitted from £20 million
new government investment, specifically for the purpose of looking at research
into energy efficient research computing.
Image
available: The Blue Joule supercomputer at STFC’s Hartree
Centre.
Contact:
Wendy
Ellison
STFC Press Officer
Tel: 01925 603232
Mob: 07919 548012
About STFC
The Science and Technology
Facilities Council (STFC) is keeping the UK at the forefront of international
science and tackling some of the most significant challenges facing society
such as meeting our future energy needs, monitoring and understanding climate
change, and ensuring global security. STFC is one of seven publicly-funded
research councils. It is an independent, non-departmental public body of the
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).
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@STFC_Matters. www.stfc.ac.uk.
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