The "Jaguar" system is now the world's fastest computer for science research, capable of 1.64 petaflops - or 1.64 quadrillion mathematical calculations per second. A quadrillion is equivalent to 1,000 trillion.
Jaguar will be used for studies of global climate change, as well as development of alternative energy sources and other types of scientific problem-solving that previously could not be attempted.
ORNL's Jaguar was upgraded by adding 200 Cray XT5 cabinets - loaded with AMD quadcore processors and Cray SeaStar interconnects - to the computer's existing 84 Cray XT4 cabinets. The combined machine resulted in the new standard for computational science.
The peak operating speed is apparently just below that of Los Alamos National Laboratory's IBM Roadrunner system, which is designed for 1.7 petaflops. But the Jaguar reportedly has triple the memory of Roadrunner and much broader research potential.
Scientists have already used the newly upgraded Jaguar to do calculations associated with superconductivity, and the Oak Ridge computer had a sustained performance of more than 1.3 petaflops, the U.S. Department of Energy said in a statement released to the news media.
Unlike the Roadrunner, which is used for nuclear weapons analysis and other national security programs, the Jaguar is available for open scientific research.
Jack Dongarra, a University of Tennessee professor who tracks the world's fastest computers and publishes an updated list every six months, said he couldn't comment on Jaguar's position on the latest Top 500 list because the new list is embargoed.
In addition, the system is balanced and very usable for a wide array of computational problems. This is an important milestone for both ORNL and Cray.
The Cray XT5 units still must go through acceptance testing before the transaction with Cray is completed, but he anticipated that will be accomplished by late December or early January. After that, the two versions of Jaguar will be hooked together and offered to research scientists for work on climate, renewable energy sources and other scientific problem-solving.
Because the Jaguar has come online sooner than expected, an alert was sent to top U.S. scientists inviting them to apply for early access to the Oak Ridge computer. Their scientific proposals will be reviewed on an accelerated timetable.
The peak capability of 1.64 petaflops is attributed to 1.384 petaflops from the new Cray XT5, combined with 0.266 petaflops from the existing Cray XT4 system.
How fast is a quadrillion calculations per second?
One way to understand the speed is by analogy. It would take the entire population of the Earth (more than 6 billion people), each of us working a handheld calculator at the rate of one second per calculation, more than 460 years to do what Jaguar at a quadrillion can do in one day.
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