ExCALIBUR HES DWAVE Quantum Annealing Credits

2018年，英国气象局、CCFE和EPSRC（代表UKRI）提出了Exascale Computing ALtax ms & Structures for the Benefit of UK Research（ExCALIBUR）计划。ExCALIBUR的目标是重新设计高优先级的计算机代码和算法，使英国的研究和开发处于高性能仿真科学的最前沿。这项挑战跨越了许多学科，因此研究计划将通过英国气象局和英国研究所研究委员会之间的伙伴关系提供。研究软件工程师和科学家将共同努力，以证明未来英国对超级计算机设计的快速变化。这种结合的科学专业知识将推动科学的边界跨越广泛的领域，在科学超级计算的前沿提供转型变革。作为ExCALIBUR计划的一部分，已拨出450万英镑的资本资金，用于开发一个为期4.5年的前瞻性计划，ExCALIBUR硬件和使能软件，这是本提案的主题。450万英镑的资本旨在提供一个试验台区域，使用预商用设备进行软件原型设计和开发。它有两个主要目的：（1）使软件社区能够在商业产品上市后立即有效地使用它们;（2）为UKRIHPC社区提供影响行业的能力和指导其购买决策的必要知识。这将确保设施和未来的英国国家电子基础设施能够通过获得最强大的系统来满足社区的需求，从而最大限度地提高资金的价值。这种双管齐下的方法将为英国研究人员提供国际竞争优势。ExCALIBUR现在将建立一套专门用于此目的的中等规模的适应性集群，并嵌入到已建立的HPC环境中。尽管规模很小，但它们必须能够进行有意义的性能研究。他们预计将与行业合作伙伴共同资助，最初将需要20万-30万英镑的投资，并将允许一系列未来的硬件被评估其与UKRI科学和创新的相关性。商业化前的设备应定期更新和添加，可能是每年一次。这种敏捷策略旨在利用整个行业的不同方法。ExCALIBUR可以使用硬件试点系统来推动UKRI研究社区的软件创新。研究人员不愿意在代码开发上投入时间来利用新硬件，这是正确的，因为新硬件可能在几年内无法大规模使用，甚至可能被证明没有寿命-科学领导层要求研究资金现在就用于交付科学成果。此外，DiRAC和其他人将提供资助的RSE努力，以支持开发工作，并在中等规模的系统中使用新技术，ExCALIBUR可以降低参与软件再工程过程的门槛，并鼓励研究人员对他们的时间进行必要的（适度的）投资。在某些情况下，通过利用概念验证系统，还可能产生一些直接的科学产出。因此，ExCALIBUR将能够为整个英国研究机构的更大软件创新提供激励，并有助于确保当新技术被纳入国家服务时，已经有工作流程能够最佳地利用它。这将提高英国所有计算服务的生产力，并使英国研究人员能够使用最新的硬件提供最大和最复杂的计算，确保国际领先地位。

In 2018, the Exascale Computing ALgorithms & Infrastructures for the Benefit of UK Research(ExCALIBUR) programme was proposed by the Met Office, CCFE and EPSRC (on behalf of UKRI). Thegoal of ExCALIBUR is to redesign high priority computer codes and algorithms, keeping UK research anddevelopment at the forefront of high-performance simulation science. The challenge spans many disciplinesand as such the programme of research will be delivered through a partnership between the Met Office andUKRI Research Councils. Research software engineers and scientists will work together to future proof theUK against the fast-moving changes in supercomputer designs. This combined scientific expertise will pushthe boundaries of science across a wide range of fields delivering transformational change at the cutting-edge of scientific supercomputing. As part of the ExCALIBUR initiative £4.5M in capital funding has beenset aside to develop a 4.5-year foresighting programme, ExCALIBUR Hardware and Enabling Software,which is the subject of this proposal.The £4.5m capital is intended to provide a testbed area that uses pre-commercial equipment for softwareprototyping and development. It has two main purposes: (1) to enable the software community to be readyto use commercial products effectively as soon as they come on to the market; and (2) to provide the UKRIHPC community with the ability to influence industry and the necessary knowledge to guide their purchasedecisions. This will ensure that facilities and the future UK National e-Infrastructure are in a position tomaximise value for money by getting the most powerful systems exactly suited to the communities' needs.This double-pronged approach will give UK researchers a competitive advantage internationally.ExCALIBUR will now establish a set of modest-sized, adaptable clusters dedicated solely to this purposeand embedded within established HPC environments. Although small, they need to be of a scale capableof carrying out meaningful performance studies. They are expected to be co-funded with industry partnersand will initially require investments of £200k-£300k each and will allow a range of future hardware to beassessed for its relevance to the delivery of UKRI science and innovation. The pre-commercial equipmentwill be refreshed and added to on a regular, likely to be annual, basis. This agile tactic is designed to takeadvantage of the different approaches across industry.ExCALIBUR can use the hardware piloting systems to drive software innovation across the UKRI researchcommunity. Researchers are rightly reluctant to invest time in code development to take advantage of newhardware which may not be available at scale for several years or may even prove not to have longevity -scientific leadership demands that research funding is used to deliver science results now. In addition,DiRAC and others will offer funded RSE effort to support the development work combined with access tonovel technologies within modest-sized systems, ExCALIBUR can lower the bar for engaging with theprocess of software re-engineering and encourage researchers to make the necessary (modest)investments of their time. In some cases, there may also be the potential for some immediate scienceoutputs by exploiting the proof-of-concept systems.ExCALIBUR will thus be able to provide an incentive for greater software innovation across the UKRIresearch communities and help to ensure that when novel technology is included in national services, thereare workflows that are already able to exploit it optimally. This will increase productivity across all UKRIcomputing services and enable UK researchers to use the latest hardware to deliver the largest and mostcomplex calculations, ensuring international leadership