Supercomputing allows scientists to use the world’s most powerful computers to rapidly advance the speed of research and take on challenging scientific questions that could otherwise remain unanswered. These super data centers also heavily influence the type and quality of research conducted at the world’s universities.
Data Center Design Allows for Maximum Research Innovation Using Supercomputers
Examples of how universities use supercomputing power include:
- Researchers at the University of Edinburgh and IBM use supercomputing simulations and laboratory experiments to quicken the design of drugs that will stop infection by the HIV virus.
- At the U.K.’s University of Southampton, a supercomputer will advance university research in areas such as cancer studies and climate change.
- The Minnesota Supercomputing Institute for Advanced Computational Research at the University of Minnesota is using its computing power to improve concrete bridges in the state.
- At the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing at Australia’s Swinburne University of Technology, supercomputing power is used the area of astronomy research such as simulations of structure formation in the Universe.
- A company called PearlDiver Technologies Inc. uses Indiana University’s Big Red supercomputer to analyze outcomes from millions of hospital patients to condense findings into information more accessible to the medical and policy communities.
- Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign used high performance computing power to visualize the changing atomic structure of a virus. This task took 100 days with supercomputing technology that would have taken 35 years on an average desktop computer.
Many complex scientific problems require very large amounts of data and data center design capable of generating large amounts of computing power. There is no question that supercomputer elements fall well beyond the limits of standard computing power.
High Performance Computing Infrastructure, University Data Needs Support
Supercomputers are becoming less rare at universities however, these data centers still require regular funding infusions to stay current. Failure by universities to devote resources to fund supercomputing capabilities will dissuade top researchers and students.
A 2006 report by the National Science Foundation also found that access to supercomputers is critical to keeping research competitive.
Members of the high performance computing community keeps close watch on the applications, number of systems and locations of supercomputers. Research collaborations are more likely when the details about supercomputing data centers are well known.
World's Top Supercomputing Spots, Data Centers Highlighted
The need for the latest information about supercomputing sites has resulted in researchers from Germany and the United States publishing the Top 500 list of the world’s most powerful computer systems. The list is compiled twice yearly under the advice of high-performance computer experts, scientists, manufacturers and the internet community.
Supercomputing at universities around the world continues to advance research and knowledge by creating data center services that result in breakthroughs and discovery. These high performance computing sites will continue to play a vital role to answer some of the world's biggest questions.
Shelley Aylesworth-Spink - Shelley Aylesworth-Spink has worked in support of communications, marketing and advertising for nearly 25 years in the private and public ...
