Virginia Polytechnic Institute`s System X, which utilises 1 100 Apple G5 64-bit dual processor computers and can conduct 9.6 trillion calculations per second is to be upgraded to Apple Xserve units.
System X, or "Big Mac" as it is more affectionately known by some, was created by clustering 1 100 PowerMac G5 desktop computers on custom-built racks. The existing supercomputer is the most powerful computer associated with a university, is the second most powerful computer in the US and is ranked third in the world.
Perhaps more importantly, the system runs a purpose-built, fault-tolerant software environment called D'ej`a Vu and cost a mere $5 million to develop - roughly one-tenth the cost of similar systems - and one-hundredth the cost of the world`s fastest super computers.
The original project, which was completed in the fourth quarter of last year, caused heads to turn in the world of supercomputing because is was completely "home-built" with off-the-shelf components and Apple`s OS X operating system, is capable of 17.6 trillion floating point operations per second and boasts a combined storage capacity of 176TB.
System X was developed to aid researchers who need massive computer power to calculate solutions relating to nanoscale electronics, quantum chemistry, computational chemistry, biochemistry, aerodynamics, cell cycle modelling, molecular statics and computational acoustics.
With 64-bit power and high-bandwidth architecture, a single Apple G5 computer is no slouch. This groundbreaking new system alleviates the limitations and bottlenecks of the traditional PC - opening up a wealth of possibilities for 2D and 3D designers, video and audio producers, scientists, researchers, game developers and players. The G5 features the industry`s fastest frontside bus, an advanced system controller and high-speed, high-capacity memory combine to make the Power Mac G5 one of the fastest PCs ever built. Of course, linking 1 100 already awesomely quick computers together to operate as one takes computing to an almost ethereal world.
The network of System X computers are linked with 2 900 cables running roughly 100 times faster than a top corporate network. The system covers 279 square metres in an environment with massive cooling properties. To obtain similar cooling needed to run and maintain the system, traditional air-conditioning would require about 100km/h wind velocity below the unit`s raised floor.
Virginia Tech`s decision to upgrade "Big Mac" with Apple`s new G5 Xserve units has been met with "a number of enquiries" from federal agencies such as the Argonne National Lab, National Security Agency and NASA, the EETimes reports.
Each G5 Xserve unit is designed to deliver the UNIX-based strengths and cutting-edge capabilities of Mac OS X Server, is rack-optimised and offers phenomenal processing power, massive storage capacity (up to 750GB) and remote management tools that make it a snap to deploy and maintain.
At just 1.75 inches thick, the Xserve 1U form factor enables organisations to deploy a formidable array of up to 84 G5 processors in a 42U rack that makes the best possible use of floor space in a server room or data centre. In Virginia Tech`s case, the space needed to house a similarly specified "Big Mac" Supercomputer will be reduced by two-thirds.
The Xserve cluster node configuration is ideal for High Performance Computing (HPC) in scientific and technical environments, as well as for workgroup clusters and render farms. The G5 processor`s superscalar, superpipelined architecture supports up to 215 simultaneous in-flight instructions with a high-bandwidth execution core offering over 12 discrete functional units, including dual floating-point units and dual integer units, to process immense instructions in parallel - with 64-bit precision on 64-bit wide data paths.
It is not yet known how many Xserve units Virginia Tech will utilise to build an upgrade to "Big Mac", nor how fast the new system will be.
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