BlueGene/Q

2012–present

EPCCsocial
@EPCCsocial

At launch, Blue Gene/Q was the world's most efficiently scalable system for computationally intensive, general-purpose science applications. 

Blue Gene/Q is part of DiRAC (Distributed Research utilising Advanced Computing), the UK’s integrated supercomputing facility for theoretical modelling and HPC-based research in particle physics, astronomy and cosmology.

The main purpose of Blue Gene/Q is astronomy and particle physics.

EPCC's On-Demand computing service also gives access to commercial users.

3D dipole integration panoramic poster. Image: CERN

RESEARCH: Domain Wall consortium

We have pursued the first ever Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), or strong force, lattice simulations of quarks and gluons with continuum limit results from chiral lattice quarks at their physical masses. 

Only left handed quarks couple to the electroweak forces. Our chiral approach reproduces the handedness symmetry of continuum QCD and is particularly good for determining the rates of weak decay processes involving left handed quark operators. This preference for left handed over right handed shows that the weak forces surprisingly break reflection (or parity) symmetry. 

Our results confirm the strong force as the confining theory of hadrons (particles made from quarks). The mass spectrum and pion decay constant agree with experimental determinations at the fraction of a percent level, and allow determination of the Vus quark flavour mixing parameter of the standard model. These and the following achievements are crucial ingredients in interpreting the results from the large experimental facilities (e.g. at CERN).

DiRAC Blue Gene/Q is hosted by EPCC at the University of Edinburgh's Advanced Computing Facility. 

Its two partitions comprise a total of 6144 compute nodes and it has a peak performance of 1,26 Petaflops, which put it at number 20 in the TOP500 in June 2012. 

The System-on-a-Chip design used in BlueGene/Q's compute chips integrates processors, memory and networking logic into a single chip. Each compute node has a 1.6 GHz 64-bit PowerPC A2 processors with 18 cores, each 4-way simultaneously multithreaded. Out of 18 cores, 16 are used for computing and one for operating system assist functions, with the remaining core used as a redundant spare, helping to increase manufacturing yield. 

Compute nodes run a lightweight proprietary kernel – CNK, which eliminates OS noise. File I/O is offloaded to I/O nodes running full Linux. 

BlueGene/Q is water-cooled (18-25°C – above dew point) and each rack typically uses 80kW, with maximum of 100 kW.