MRI-Consortium: Acquisition of a Supercomputer by the Front Range Computing Consortium

提案#：CNS 08-21794PI(S)：Tufo，Henry M.Julie，Keith；Loft，Richard D.；Mandel，Jan；Syvitski，James P.机构：科罗拉多大学博尔德分校，CO 80309-0572标题：磁共振成像/访问：Acq.该项目旨在调查和解决CU-Denver、CU-Boulder和NCAR的实际PB级计算的技术障碍，探索多核、插座内和节点间并行在各种应用程序中的相互作用，并另外研究极端的应用程序可伸缩性(对于PB级时代至关重要的问题)。这项工作使来自前端范围计算联盟(FRCC)的研究人员能够通过具有最高性能(超过100万亿次浮点运算)的超级计算仪器在多个领域进行发现。通过使用这一关键的最先进的Track 3计算仪器，可以解决高性能计算驱动的问题，如地球系统科学(如气候学、关键海洋学、气象学、陆地表面动力学)、生物技术(如基因组学、结构生物学、微生物生态学)、可再生能源应用、材料科学(如纳米结构复合材料)、湍流、湍动磁发电机、激光等离子体加速和计算科学。建议的仪器结合了Sun？S最高密度星座组件、英特尔？S新一代Nehalem-EP微处理器、基于InfiniBand QDR的定制网状网互连、NVIDIA加速器和Sun Thumper存储模块，以产生高度平衡的I/O丰富且经济高效的计算系统。这一新仪器部署在FRCC的综合框架内，为广泛的研究人员提供了必要的计算生态系统，以推动他们的研究并加强他们与国家实验室的合作。因为NSF网络基础设施层次结构所体现的高性能计算需要大量峰值性能在50-500万亿次浮点范围内的系统，并由个别校园和研究组织在本地部署和支持。该仪器作为Track 3系统符合NSF网络基础设施的层次结构，并将拥有一个软件环境，使其能够与NSF的其他网络基础设施投资无缝对接。这项工作展示了造福其他理事会和办公室的潜力，无疑直接造福于GEO、MPS、BIO、ENG、OCI和CIS。广泛的影响：该项目汇集了一系列广泛而多样的学科，专注于关键的研究优先事项。该联盟还减少了前沿研究机构的研究人员之间的合作障碍，从而加快了科学发现，提高了科学生产率，并促进了充满活力的HPC生态。此外，该工具促进了有重点的教育、培训、推广和支持。通过这一倡议提供的课程是在建模和科学计算、数值分析、应用分析和高性能计算领域培训下一代科学家和工程师的重要组成部分。该仪器通过远程学习课程支持十所历史悠久的黑人学院和大学，并利用现有的指导计划，如NCAR？S并行计算科学暑期实习(SIParCS)、UCAR？S大气研究与科学重大机遇计划(SOARS)和CU Boulder？S多文化获取研究培训(SMART)计划。

Proposal #: CNS 08-21794PI(s): Tufo, Henry M. Julie, Keith; Loft, Richard D.; Mandel, Jan; Syvitski, James P.Institution: University of Colorado - Boulder Boulder, CO 80309-0572Title: MRI/Acq.: Acq. of a Supercomputer by the Front Range Computing ConsortiumProject Proposed:This project, acquiring instrumentation to investigate and address the technical obstacles to practical petascale computing for CU-Denver, CU-Boulder, and NCAR, explores the interplay of multi-core, intra-socket and inter-node parallelism in a variety of applications and additionally studies extreme application scalability, (issues critical to the petascale era). The work enables the researchers from the Front Range Computing Consortium (FRCC) to make discoveries in multiple areas through the supercomputing instrument with peak performance (over 100 TeraFLOPs). Access to this critical state-of-the-art Track 3 computational instrumentation enables HPC-driven problems such as Earth-System Sciences (e.g., climatology, critical oceanography, meteorology, land surface dynamics), Biotechnology (e.g., genomics, structural biology, microbial ecology), renewable energy applications; Material Science (e.g., nano-structured composites), turbulence, turbulent magnetic dynamos, and laser-plasma acceleration, and Computational Science. The instrument proposed combines Sun?s highest density Constellation assemblies, Intel?s next generation Nehalem-EP microprocessors, a custom InfiniBand QDR-based mesh interconnect, NVIDIA accelerators, and Sun Thumper storage modules to produce a highly balanced I/O rich, and cost-effective computing system. This new instrument, deployed within the integrated framework of the FRCC, offers a broad spectrum of investigators the necessary computational ecosystem to advance their research and strengthen their collaborations with national laboratories. Because the HPC manifested by NSF cyber-infrastructure hierarchy calls for ?a significant number of systems with peak performance in the 50-500 teraflops range, deployed and supported on the local level by individual campuses and research organizations,? the instrument fits into the NSF cyber-infrastructure hierarchy as a track 3 system and will have a software environment that allows it to peer seamlessly with other NSF cyber-infrastructure investments. Exhibiting potential to benefit other Directorates and Offices, this work undoubtedly directly benefits GEO, MPS, BIO, ENG, OCI, and CISE.Broader Impacts:This project brings together a broad and diverse set of disciplines to focus on key research priorities. The Consortium also decreases the barrier for collaboration between researchers at institutions along the Front Range, thereby accelerating scientific discovery, increasing scientific productivity, and fostering vibrant HPC ecology. Moreover, the instrumentation facilitates focused education, training, outreach, and support. Courses offered through this initiative are a vital component of training the next generation of scientists and engineers in the areas of modeling and scientific computing, numerical analysis, applied analysis, and high performance computing. The instrumentation supports ten historically black colleges and universities through distance learning courses and leverages existing mentoring programs such as NCAR?s Summer Internship in Parallel Computational Science (SIParCS), UCAR?s Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science program (SOARS), and the CU Boulder?s Summer Multicultural Access to Research Training (SMART) programs.