High Performance Computing is critical to the cutting-edge research underpinning some of our most pressing global challenges.
For example, understanding the impact of melting ice sheets requires large scale simulations which cannot run on ordinary computers and require high-performance computing (HPC). But what is HPC? At its core, high performance computing is a cluster of components which can calculate and process data at a much faster rate than a standard computer. This technology is often used alongside artificial intelligence (AI) to research the wonders of our planet.
High-performance computing is already accelerating research at institutions across Europe and around the world. Northumbria University’s new Higgs cluster (named after the pioneering British physicist Peter Higgs who proposed the Higgs boson) is now powering projects aiming to understand not only the melting of Antarctica’s ice, but also how to maintain Earth’s satellite fleets. HPC systems are powering simulations of the whole Earth system at institutions such as Italy’s Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC), where its ‘Cassandra’ supercomputer will also be used to drive AI-based climate change predictions. In Germany’s University of Paderborn, an HPC system will be available for nation-wide research, with research including simulations of how atoms interact.
From DNA to Space Research
Northumbria University’s NU-OMICS lab specialises in analysing DNA sequencing information. During the pandemic, the lab was analysing 5,000 Sars-CoV-2 genome sequencing samples a week, more data than many nation states. But the University’s previous HPC cluster struggled to keep up, with bottlenecks in the system meaning that jobs that should have taken 30 minutes took 90 minutes and sometimes had to be restarted. The new Higgs cluster will radically speed up the lab’s processing of data, meaning that researchers can finally fully utilise the cutting-edge DNA sequencing equipment in the lab to its full potential.
Simon Thompson, Director HPC Solutions at Lenovo said, “This HPC system will be vital to driving the innovative research which Northumbria University is known for. We’re delighted to be partnering with Northumbria University to help them deliver sustainable supercomputing and to support vital climate change research. The Higgs cluster is built to deal with large scientific datasets at high speed and will drive discoveries in everything from physics to biotechnology.”
The Higgs cluster is equipped for many different kinds of research, with general-purpose HPC nodes, high-memory HPC nodes and graphics processing units (GPUs) for AI, based on Lenovo server and storage technology. It will be upgraded so that it can continue to drive research breakthroughs over its five-year lifecycle.
The Higgs cluster will be used by research projects across the university, such as by the Solar and Space Physics research group which aims to understand space weather such as solar flares and how to predict them. This will enable nations to develop new satellites and maintain the existing fleets which are vital to communications around the world. With its ability to deal with large datasets at high speed, the Higgs cluster will also power cutting-edge research into how microbes could help to reduce carbon emissions and recycle waste products.
High-performance computing systems such as the Higgs cluster are increasingly important to university research, says Professor Louise Bracken, Pro Vice-Chancellor at Northumbria University.
Future Innovation With HPC
Demand for high-performance computing is growing rapidly in the education sector, growing 20% year on year for the past five years, according to a report by Global Market Insights. With the use of AI and machine learning growing in importance for data analysis, simulation and dealing with large data sets, this demand is set to keep on growing with HPC accelerating scientific research and enabling large-scale simulations in everything from weather prediction to cancer research to large-scale genome sequencing of populations.
A key consideration for scientific institutions going forward will be how to use HPC and AI sustainably. With components such as GPUs pushing up the energy density of data centres, innovative cooling systems such as warm water cooling will grow in importance. Lenovo’s Neptune cooling solution uses warm water to cool most HPC components directly, without air-moving devices inside servers, making for a 40% reduction in power consumption and reducing the need for air conditioning systems. Donostia International Physics Center in Spain has adopted Neptune warm water cooling for its new Hyperion supercomputer which will research everything from new quantum technologies to how galaxies form. Going forward, such innovations will allow the education sector to responsibly maximise the potential of AI and HPC.
A Critical Asset for Critical Research
Many of the planet’s largest challenges, from creating new sustainable materials to understanding the full impact of melting glaciers, will be dependent on large-scale simulations and vast data sets to find solutions. HPC will be critical equipment for research institutions to learn and work at the cutting edge of innovation. Not only will HPC technology be an increasingly important enabler for this research, but also a vital means of harnessing computing power as sustainably as possible.
About the Author
Ian Jeffs is UK&I General Manager at Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions Group. Lenovo is a US$57 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #248 in the Fortune Global 500, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Focused on a bold vision to deliver Smarter Technology for All, Lenovo has built on its success as the world’s largest PC company with a full-stack portfolio of AI-enabled, AI-ready, and AI-optimized devices (PCs, workstations, smartphones, tablets), infrastructure (data center, storage, edge, high performance computing and software defined infrastructure), software, solutions, and services. Lenovo’s continued investment in world-changing innovation is building a more equitable, trustworthy, and smarter future for everyone, everywhere.
