High-Performance Computing
SDSC, Intel Partner on Parallel Computing Center
The San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California, San Diego and Intel have opened a second Intel Parallel Computing Center (Intel PCC) at the SDSC.
The new Intel PCC, called the High Performance GeoComputing Laboratory (HPGeoC), will serve as an interdisciplinary research center in collaboration with the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC). Researchers from UC San Diego, University of Southern California, San Diego State University and the University of California, Riverside will use the center to produce detailed
computer simulations of major seismic events with the goal of improving
disaster recovery and relief efforts.
The Southern California
Earthquake Center has developed a highly scalable 3D earthquake
modeling environment called AWP-ODC. Researchers at the High
Performance GeoComputing Laboratory will work to modernize the
technology using multi-core Intel Xeon processors and many-core,
self-hosted, next-generation Intel Xeon Phi processors architecture,
according to a news release.
"Realistic, physics-based
earthquake ground motion computational models can help key
decision-makers identify effective ways to reduce seismic risk," said
Thomas Jordan, co-principal investigator on the project and director of
the SCEC, in a prepared statement. "This new partnership with Intel
provides us the opportunity to substantially broaden the frequency band
covered by such detailed simulations, allowing researchers to predict
ground motions at frequencies relevant for common dwellings."
The
new Intel PCC is the second Intel Parallel Computing Center at the San
Diego Supercomputer Center. The first one opened in September 2014 with
a focus on "improving the parallelism, efficiency and scalability of
widely used molecular and neurological simulation technologies,"
according to a news release.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].
