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Contact: Bob Hirschfeld
Phone: (925) 422-2379
E-mail: newsbob@llnl.gov
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: October 1, 2004
NR-04-10-01
|
Two More Jewels In the Crown
![](/peth04/20041015012054im_/http://www.llnl.gov/llnl/06news/Images/abraham_signingtn.jpg)
The man who signed the check, signs the supercomputer.
Department of Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham signs the first
BlueGene/L processor. Smaller, faster, more efficient and less
expensive than the Earth Simulator in Japan, DOE's new world heavyweight
champion restores the nation's leadership in high performance
computing. 300 dpi image
|
LIVERMORE, CALIF — There’s a new world heavyweight supercomputer
coming to town, courtesy of the Department of Energy. BlueGene/L is the
latest jewel in DOE’s crown of high-performance computers that
dates back to the agency’s formation during the Cold War.
At present, five of the world’s top 10 fastest computers are hard
at work at DOE facilities. Delivery of BlueGene/L at the DOE’s
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory should begin this November.
“In July, I predicted that America would reclaim the lead in Supercomputing.
And now it has. The announcement that BlueGene/L is number one is just
the tip of the iceberg,” said Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.
Jointly developed with IBM, and operational by summer 2005, BlueGene/L
will exceed the power of the Earth Simulator in Japan by a factor of
eight, yet require only 1/6th the electrical power and 1/10th the floor
space. The pricing is very cost efficient.
The price point, coupled with operating efficiency, will enable a greater
number of U.S. universities, governmental agencies, research institutions
and commercial users to purchase and operate world-class supercomputers.
“This achievement represents a deliberate long-term investment
by DOE in high performance computing technology for US competitiveness.
We have
invested in the R&D, and have participated in the technical reviews.
When complete, this machine will significantly impact the Stockpile Stewardship
program by helping to understand the safety, performance and surety of
the enduring National Nuclear Stockpile,” Secretary Abraham added.
The next jewel in DOE’s crown, known as ASC purple, was promised
by Secretary Abraham in 2002. This joint IBM project will be a workhorse
super computer capable of 100-trillion calculations per second, dedicated
to research for the nuclear stockpile. It is scheduled for delivery next
June, at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
By the numbers… |
|
BlueGene/L |
Earth Simulator |
Manufacturer |
IBM |
NEC |
CPU Architecture |
Commodity multi-processor |
Custom multi-processor |
Footprint |
320 sq. ft. |
32,500 sq. ft. |
Power requirement |
216 KW |
6,000 KW |
Annual electric bill |
$ 250,000 |
$10,000,000 |
LINPACK Speed |
36.01 |
35.86 |
Owner |
U.S. Dept. of Energy |
Government of Japan |
Founded in 1952, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a nuclear
security laboratory, with a mission to ensure national security and apply
science and
technology to the important issues of our time. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
is managed by the University of California for the National Nuclear Security
Administration/Department of Energy.
Laboratory news releases and photos are also available electronically on the
World Wide Web of the Internet at URL http://www.llnl.gov/PAO and on UC Newswire
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