SC13 News: Micron Develops Parallel Processing Architecture

High Performance Computing announcements this week from vendors at the Supercomputing Conference in Denver highlight a new parallel processing architecture from Micron, and customer wins from DataDirect Networks and SGI.

Micron develops parallel processing architecture.  Micron announced the development of a fundamentally new computing architecture capable of performing high-speed, comprehensive search and analysis of complex, unstructured data streams. Its Automata Processor (AP) is an accelerator that leverages the intrinsic parallelism of memory and aims to dramatically advance computing capabilities in areas such as bioinformatics, video/image analytics, and network security which pose challenges for conventional processor architectures because of the amount of complex, unstructured data. Unlike a CPU, the AP is a computing fabric comprised of tens of thousands to millions of processing elements interconnected to create a task-specific processing engine capable of solving problems with unprecedented performance. "The Automata Processor is a breakthrough technology that is designed to use advanced memory-based processing to solve complex computing challenges that existing solutions are not able to tackle effectively," said Chirag Dekate, IDC Research Manager, HPC. "This technology has the potential to solve some of the world's most complicated data-intensive challenges, including real-time security that could dramatically affect anti-terrorism efforts, or the highly efficient analysis of complex plant genomes that could allow scientists to rapidly advance their research agendas beyond what is possible today."

DataDirect Networks selected for multi-petabyte cloud. Data Direct Networks (DDN) announced that the Sunshine State Education & Research Computing Alliance (SSERCA) has selected DataDirect Networks Web Object Scaler (WOS) high-performance object storage to drive the development of a statewide research community. The multi Petabyte WOS object storage system will provide thousands of researchers across all disciplines seamless access to cloud-based scientific computing, communication and educational resources. This will enable SSERCA to consolidate traditional storage layers, including backup and archive, which will enable research teams to minimize storage management while maximizing productivity and efficiency. "DDN’s ability to support multiple mechanisms for data transmission to and from third party high-performance parallel file systems, which may be tightly coupled with campus HPC assets, was a key differentiator in selecting DDN’s cost-effective solution," said Joel Zysman, Director of HPC, University of Miami. "This selection will enable SSERCA to share data seamlessly while leveraging our existing investment in DDN and/or other HPC storage equipment.”

SGI selected by UK Atomic Weapons Establishment. SGI announced that the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in the United Kingdom has selected three SGI ICE X systems to advance sophisticated scientific and technological capabilities, and to enhance the simulation methods used to verify the safety and reliability of the Trident warhead. The systems will help AWE accelerate results by modeling more accurately and scaling up to perform more scientific models quickly - while also enabling them to easily add capacity for future simulation needs. "We're constantly looking for ways to enhance and develop programs to support the UK government's nuclear weapons programme," said Ken Atkinson, HPC Strategy and Procurement manager at AWE. "We turned to SGI again and chose their ICE X M-Cell systems to deliver a flexible and scalable infrastructure, which enables us to continue to underwrite the safety and effectiveness of the Trident warhead in the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty era. It's critical that advanced high-performance computing systems underpin our science program, and SGI's supercomputing systems should enable us to quickly advance research and development. SGI met our thorough review process and was able to accommodate our tight schedule for manufacture, factory testing, delivery and commissioning."