Terascale Simulation Facility Employs S2A Storage System To Deliver A Scalable, High-Performance, High-Capacity Solution

BlueGene/L, Number 1 on the TOP500 list of supercomputers, is a revolutionary, low-power per FLOP/s machine that delivers extraordinary computing power for scientific simulations and programmatic work. Located in the Terascale Simulation Facility at LLNL, BlueGene/L is running a wide variety of scientific simulations in support of the Advanced Strategic Computing (ASC) and Stockpile Stewardship programs. These simulations include classical molecular dynamics, ab initio quantum molecular dynamics, dislocation dynamics, and turbulent hydrodynamics applications delivered at speeds over 100 teraFLOP/s to address materials aging, performance of high explosives, carbon graphite transitions, super-ionic water, turbulence and instability physics, plastic strength of materials all relating to LLNL's core Stockpile Stewardship mission. From a computer science and engineering perspective, BlueGene/L is also used to explore the potential of system-on-a-chip technologies to achieve extreme scalability and performance while minimizing floor space and electrical power consumption.

BlueGene/L is fully assembled and installed for classified service in support of the National Nuclear Security Administration's stockpile science mission of Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, and Sandia National Laboratories. The machine recently achieved a sustained world-record speed of 280.6 teraFLOP/s on the Linpack benchmark and over 207.3 teraFLOP/s on quantum molecular dynamics code "Qbox," demonstrating the machine's huge potential for rapid "time to solution" for applications in molecular dynamics and materials science.