Inauguration of Akka

Umeå University, October 20, 2008

Invitation
High Performance Computing Center North cordially invites you to participate in the inauguration of the new HPC2N Super Cluster, Akka. The program includes presentations by scientists using the cluster, state-of-the-art technical and R&D overviews and the formal inauguration of Akka.

Akka, delivered by Gridcore (in collaboration with IBM, Intel, and Microsoft), consists of 672 nodes, each equipped with two low power Intel Xeon quad-core CPUs for a total of 5376 cores, connected with a Cisco Infiniband high-speed network. Akka has been in general operation for HPC2N users since July 2008 and is ranked as the most powerful academic computer system in the Nordic countries (June 2008 lists of Top500, Green500). In addition, Akka provides a dual-boot style environment which makes it possible to run both Windows HPC Server 2008 and Linux operating systems (ranked #1 in Europe, #2 worldwide). For more information about Akka, including vendor case studies, see our web information.

The procurement of the HPC2N Super Cluster was made possible through grants from SNIC and the Kempe Foundations.

 
Dates and Location
The presentations and inauguration will be held on October 20, 2008 in the MIT-building (Lecture Hall MA 121) at the Umeå University Campus.
Detailed Program
Monday October 20, 2008 – Lecture Hall MA 121

13.00

13.10

 CHAIR: Lars Lustig, Chairman of the HPC2N Board of Directors

Welcome and Opening
Professor Bo Kågström, Director of HPC2N

The HPC2N Super Cluster Akka and its National Role

Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC) - Future Roadmap
Assoc. Professor Sverker Holmgren, Director of SNIC

Akka@HPC2N – A Dual-Boot Top-Ranked HPC Cluster for Parallel Computing
Dr Mats Nylén, Advanced consultant HPC2N and SweGrid Coordinator

Formal Inauguration of Akka – a Strategic Resource in Northern Sweden
Göran Sandberg, Vice-Chancellor (rector) Umeå University,
Sverker Holmgren, SNIC, and Carl Kempe, Chairman of the Kempe Foundations

14.00

 CHAIR: Erik Elmroth, Deputy Director of HPC2N

Sample User Projects at HPC2N

Biomolecular Modelling Across Spatial and Temporal Scales
Professor Aatto Laaksonen, Div. of Physical Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University

Jamming in Granular Matter – New Insights from Computer Simulations
Assoc. Professor Peter Olsson, Dept. of Physics, Umeå University

Watching the Spinning Dance of Electrons
Assoc. Professor Lars Nordström, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Uppsala University
15.00 Coffee and Tea

15.20

 CHAIR: Bo Kågström, Director of HPC2N

Vendor Views and Case Studies of Akka

Umeå University launches green Windows-based supercomputing on an IBM BladeCenter cluster

Going Green with High Performance Computing in Umeå – Intel®technology powers energy-efficient platform to drive breakthroughs in international research

University Research Center Sets Benchmark Record with Windows HPC Server 2008

Representatives for the vendors (to be announced).

16.05

 CHAIR: Sverker Holmgren, Director of SNIC

HPC2N Activities and Research Collaborations

Algorithms and Library Software for Multicore Architectures and Massive Parallelism
Professor Bo Kågström, Director of HPC2N and Dept. of Computing Science, Umeå University

The RESERVOIR Cloud Computing Infrastructure for On-demand Service Provisioning
Assoc. Professor Erik Elmroth, Deputy Director of HPC2N and Dept. of Computing Science, Umeå University

Interactive Multi Body and Contact Simulations – Really Phun!
PhLic Kenneth Bodin, HPC2N Coordinator and Director of VRlab and Dr Claude Lacoursiérè, Researcher at HPC2N
16.50 Visit Akka in the new Computer Room – Sparkling beverages will be served
17.30 Dinner Buffet at Universum
 
Participation and Registration
There are no fees for attending talks and dinner buffet, but you still have to register your attendance. Note that the number of seats is limited and therefore the participants are registered on a "first come first served basis".

For registration, please fill in the registration form (closed). (Deadline is Wednesday 2008-10-15 16:00)
Updated: 2024-11-01, 13:56