Dell, Intel, and the University of Cambridge have collectively introduced the deployment of the Daybreak Section 1 supercomputer.
This cutting-edge AI supercomputer stands because the quickest of its form within the UK at present. It marks a groundbreaking fusion of AI and high-performance computing (HPC) applied sciences, showcasing the potential to deal with among the world’s most urgent challenges.
Daybreak Section 1 is the cornerstone of the just lately launched UK AI Research Resource (AIRR), demonstrating the nation’s dedication to exploring progressive methods and architectures.
This supercomputer brings the UK nearer to attaining the exascale; a computing threshold of a quintillion (10^18) floating level operations per second. To place this into perspective, the processing energy of an exascale system equals what each individual on Earth would calculate in over 4 years in the event that they had been working continuous, 24 hours a day.
Operational on the Cambridge Open Zettascale Lab, Daybreak utilises Dell PowerEdge XE9640 servers, offering an unparalleled platform for the Intel Data Center GPU Max Series accelerator. This collaboration ensures a various ecosystem via oneAPI, fostering an atmosphere of selection.
The system’s capabilities prolong throughout varied domains, together with healthcare, engineering, inexperienced fusion power, local weather modelling, cosmology, and high-energy physics.
Adam Roe, EMEA HPC technical director at Intel, stated:
“Daybreak significantly strengthens the scientific and AI compute functionality accessible within the UK and it’s on the bottom and operational at present on the Cambridge Open Zettascale Lab.
Dell PowerEdge XE9640 servers supply a no-compromises platform to host the Intel Knowledge Heart GPU Max Collection accelerator, which opens up the ecosystem to selection via oneAPI.
I’m very excited to see the kinds of early science this machine can ship and proceed to strengthen the Open Zettascale Lab partnership between Dell Applied sciences, Intel, and the College of Cambridge, and additional broaden that to the UK scientific and AI neighborhood.”
Glimpse into the longer term
Daybreak Section 1 isn’t just a standalone achievement; it’s a part of a broader technique.
The collaborative endeavour goals to ship a Section 2 supercomputer in 2024, promising tenfold efficiency ranges. This development would propel the UK’s AI functionality, strengthening the profitable business partnership.
The supercomputer’s technical basis lies in Dell PowerEdge XE9640 servers, famend for his or her versatile configurations and environment friendly liquid cooling know-how. This innovation ensures optimum dealing with of AI and HPC workloads, providing a more practical resolution than conventional air-cooled methods.
Tariq Hussain, Head of UK Public Sector at Dell, commented:
“Collaborations just like the one between the College of Cambridge, Dell Applied sciences and Intel, alongside sturdy inward funding, are important if we would like the compute to unlock the high-growth AI potential of the UK. It’s paramount that the federal government invests in the precise applied sciences and infrastructure to make sure the UK leads in AI and exascale-class simulation functionality.
It’s additionally essential to embrace the total spectrum of the know-how ecosystem, together with GPU variety, to make sure prospects can deal with the rising calls for of generative AI, industrial simulation modelling and ground-breaking scientific analysis.”
Because the world awaits the total technical particulars and efficiency numbers of Daybreak Section 1 – slated for launch in mid-November through the Supercomputing 23 (SC23) convention in Denver, Colorado – the UK stands on the precipice of a transformative period in scientific and AI analysis.
This collaboration between business giants and academia not solely accelerates analysis discovery but additionally propels the UK’s data financial system to new heights.
(Picture Credit score: Joe Bishop for Cambridge Open Zettascale Lab)
See additionally: UK paper highlights AI risks ahead of global Safety Summit
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