Communications of the ACM
Indiana niversity Supercomputer Aims For Big Ideas
Indiana University Data Center senior manager of high performance systems David Hancock, shows off the inside of new supercomputer Big Red II.
Credit: Kelly Wilkinson/The Indianapolis Star
Indiana University recently launched Big Red II, a $7.5-million supercomputer that aims to open the world of big data to every Indiana University researcher and student.
Craig Stewart, executive director of Indiana University's Pervasive Technology Institute, says Big Red II is the fastest supercomputer owned and funded by a U.S. university and is likely one of the world's 50 fastest. Stewart says Big Red II can analyze digital texts, simulate the creation of stars, and sequence 5,000 genomes.
In addition, Big Red II will support research in the life sciences, the humanities, and more than 150 other disciplines. "We don't really know all that we're going to enable," Stewart says. The machine has its own water-cooling system, as well as virus and hacker protection. To date, 75 researchers have expressed interest in using the machine for various projects. "We want as many different people to do as many different things that they've never done before," says Matt Link, Indiana University's director of research technology systems.
Big Red II is 25 times faster, 50 percent smaller, and slightly cheaper than Big Red I, according to the university.
From USA Today
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