With the installation of world class equipment unique in the country, Universidad de La Frontera officially quick started the National Laboratory for High Performance Computing project (NLHPC), initiative in which a network of seven universities participate.
With a CLP60 million investment financed by Conicyt’s Programa de Investigación Asociativa, UFRO quick started the functioning of this network of universities – composed by Universidad de Chile, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Universidad de Santiago, Universidad Católica del Norte, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María and U. de Talca- managing the national node Cluster Altix UV2000, which counts with 12 8 core Intel Sandy Bridge coprocessors and 192 GB RAM shared memory increasing to seven times the compute capacity of the CMCC.
This equipment is designed specially for apllications in Molecular Modeling, Bioinformatics, Industrial design, Real Time Signal Processing, Data Mining, Astrophysics, Meteorology, and other applications intensive in data analytics.
Science and collaboration for all
For the representative of this academic center, Dr. Andrés Ávila, to count with this equipment represents not only research opportunities, it is also a notable advancement because of the characteristics corresponding to the latest in technology launched into market- it debuted in june in United States- and first equipment installed in Latin America. “The objective of Conicyt’s PIA Program is the equipment to be at the service of the regional and national scientific community of the NLHPC, and that the interested researchers can come to the Center of Mathematical Modeling of UFRO, place from which we will be giving the necessary support. If there is research institutions or other univeristies interested, the NLHPC will also deliver support», explained Dr. Ávila.
In the other hand, the NLHPC will install shared resources in the other national nodes, highlighting the cluster of Universidad de Chile with more than 1.500 cores. “The researchers that have bigger compute needs will be able to access through UFRO to this cluster and other equipments of different architecture”.
Consequently, the researcher commented that the cluster has a special capacity for growth, scenery that will contribute to UFRO and the associate universities to access high end developments. “Currently we offer collaboration to professors of Faculty of Engineering, Sciences and Administration, particularly the Department of Physical Sciences, and projects related to Meteorological Simulation and Molecular Modelling, reason for which we reinforce our calling to the people having special compute requirements to count with our support».
Equipment specs
1.-Altix UV2000 96 cores and 192 GB RAM (Shared Global Memory System)
2.- 12 CPU XEON MID-BIN (SANDY BRIDGE) 8 CORES.
3.- Chasis 10U 8 BLADES
4.- 96 DIMM MEM. 2GB 1600MT/S
5.- Two 600 GB 10k RPM hard drives. 2 SAS RPM 600 GB 2.5”
6.-Interconnection of processors via NUMALink 6.
7.- SUSE Enterprise 11 Operating System.
Source: UFRO.CL