The CARA supercomputer is powered by AMD Epyc 7601 processors and HDR InfiniBand.
The DLR German Aerospace Center dedicated its new CARA supercomputer in Dresden on February 5, 2020. With 1.746 Petaflops of performance on the Linpack benchmark, the AMD-powered system from NEC is currently rated #221 on the TOP500.
With its almost 150,000 computing cores, CARA is one of the most powerful supercomputers available internationally for aerospace research,” said Prof. Markus Henke from TU Dresden. “We are strengthening the competencies of the new DLR institute for software methods for product virtualization in Dresden and thus also the scientific location Dresden with regard to the method development, the use and the efficient operation of high-performance computers.”
CARA will accelerate the introduction of new technologies for more economical, environmentally friendly and safer flying. For this purpose, hardware components (AMD processors) were selected that enable optimal use by simulation codes that are developed at DLR. These simulations contain all properties and components of an aircraft based on highly precise physical and mathematical models. They are a prerequisite for the virtual development, testing, operation and certification of aircraft. In addition, CARA can also be used in space travel and traffic research: for example, in the field of space transportation of the future or for next-generation trains.
With the installation of the high-performance computer CARA, a DLR-wide competence center for has been established in the Dresden Institute for Software Methods for Product Virtualization. In addition to specific research on efficient use, DLR institutes will now be able to obtain new perspectives in numerical simulation.
Handing over the keys to the CARA supercomputer
The Cara supercomputer is installed at the computer center of the Lehmann Center (LZR) at the Technical University of Dresden and is operated by the Center for Information Services and High Performance Computing (ZIH). This results in far-reaching strategic cooperation opportunities and synergies with the TU Dresden in order to advance application competence and method development in close coordination,” said Prof. Dr. Wolfgang E. Nagel, director of the ZIH. “We are also pleased that CARA is using our efficient hot water cooling system, which means that the computer’s waste heat can be used in the surrounding buildings in the future.”
Interesting. But if CPU/GPUs are AMD’s, what is NEC’s ? Logo ?
Didn’t NEC used to have its own architecture that was optimal for hyperscalers and massively parallel computing ? What happened to that program ?
NEC offers x86 supercomputers as well as vector supercomputers based on their SX-Aurora architecture.