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Supercomputing

Events

Ready for 25 More Years

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Director Thomas Zacharia, far right, leads a keynote panel “Building the Conditions for Innovation” that reflects on the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility’s history and predicts what the future of high-performance computing may look like. Panel members include (left to right): Robert Ward (University of…
Katie Elyce Jones
November 10, 2017
Science

Sodium Shakedown in Dopamine Research

The chemical neurotransmitter dopamine is critical to sending and receiving signals in the nervous system linked to motor movements, learning, and habit formation, which is why many therapies for drug addiction and diseases related to the aging brain, such as Parkinson’s disease, target dopamine uptake. Central to uptake is the…
Katie Elyce Jones
September 19, 2017
Science

How Hot Is Too Hot in Fusion?

Fusion, the energy that powers the stars, might one day provide abundant energy here on Earth. In a nuclear fusion reactor, the hot, charged gas known as plasma reaches out of this world temperatures at 150 million degrees Celsius, or 10 times hotter than the center of the sun. The…
Katie Elyce Jones
June 27, 2017
Technology

Chemistry Applications Get in Top Shape for Summit

OLCF computational scientist Dmitry Liakh, left, and performance analyst Frank Winkler display a visual analysis of the improved runtime performance of a numerical tensor algebra library that can be used by chemistry applications on Summit, the OLCF’s next leadership computing system. Preparing for a new supercomputer at the Oak Ridge…
Katie Elyce Jones
April 18, 2017
People

Building the Bridge to Exascale

At the Exascale Computing Project’s (ECP’s) annual meeting in February 2017, Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) staff discussed OLCF resources that could be leveraged for ECP research and development, including the facility’s next flagship supercomputer, Summit, expected to go online in 2018. Building an exascale computer—a machine that could…
Katie Elyce Jones
April 17, 2017
Science

Supercomputing, Experiment Combine for First Look at Magnetism of Real Nanoparticle

https://vimeo.com/202250016 Barely wider than a strand of human DNA, magnetic nanoparticles—such as those made from iron and platinum atoms—are promising materials for next-generation recording and storage devices like hard drives. Building these devices from nanoparticles should increase storage capacity and density, but understanding how magnetism works at the level of…
Katie Elyce Jones
February 2, 2017
Technology

Longtime User Requests Added to Next Version of OpenACC

The Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) has helped lead many developments in parallel programming during the operation of its 27-petaflop Titan supercomputer, the first of its magnitude to use GPU accelerators for scientific computing. The OLCF is a US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility located…
Katie Elyce Jones
January 31, 2017
People

Mini Hackathon Offers Shorter Schedule, Introductory Focus

In November, the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) hosted its first 3-day mini GPU Hackathon, an extension of the center’s annual 5-day GPU Hackathon, which began in 2014. The mini hackathon took place November 1–3 at the Crowne Plaza in Knoxville, Tennessee, and was open to the public. “The…
Katie Elyce Jones
January 4, 2017
IndustryScience

Streamlining Accelerated Computing for Industry

Scientists and engineers striving to create the next machine-age marvel—whether it be a more aerodynamic rocket, a faster race car, or a higher-efficiency jet engine—depend on reliable analysis and feedback to improve their designs. Building and testing physical prototypes of complex machines can be time-consuming and costly and can provide…
Jonathan Hines
August 23, 2016
Science

Fundamental Fission Modeling Finds a Foothold

https://vimeo.com/176316108 While trying to fatten the atom in 1938, German chemist Otto Hahn accidentally split it instead. This surprising discovery put modern science on the fast track to the atomic age and to the realization of technologies with profound potential for great harm or great help. Although scientific experts, thought…
Jonathan Hines
July 26, 2016
Science

Better Combustion for Power Generation

A simulation of combustion within two adjacent gas turbine combustors. GE researchers are incorporating advanced combustion modeling and simulation into product testing after developing a breakthrough methodology on the OLCF’s Titan supercomputer. In the United States, the use of natural gas for electricity generation continues to grow. The driving forces…
Jonathan Hines
May 31, 2016
People

Titan Goes on Tour

OLCF staff helped unveil ORNL’s Traveling Science Fair supercomputing exhibit at the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington DC.
Jonathan Hines
May 10, 2016