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AMD has announced that the El Capitan supercomputer, housed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), is now the fastest supercomputer in the world. Powered by AMD Instinct MI300A APUs and built by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), El Capitan achieved a High-Performance Linpack (HPL) score of 1.742 exaflops, securing the top spot on the latest Top500 list.
This marks the sixth consecutive Top500 list where AMD-powered systems have claimed the title of the world’s fastest supercomputer. The achievement underscores AMD’s leadership in high-performance computing (HPC) and energy efficiency.
Supporting National Security and Scientific Discovery
El Capitan will play a critical role in supporting the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Stockpile Stewardship Program, ensuring the safety and reliability of the nation’s nuclear stockpile. Rob Neely, director of LLNL’s Advanced Simulation and Computing program, highlighted its importance.
“El Capitan significantly enhances our ability to conduct large-scale 3D simulations, addressing complex scientific challenges critical to our mission,” Neely said.
Bronis R. de Supinski, LLNL’s chief technology officer for Livermore Computing, explained how the system integrates advanced technologies.
“By leveraging AMD Instinct MI300A APUs, we’ve built a system that achieves unprecedented computational performance while maintaining energy efficiency. It enables us to integrate Ai with traditional simulation workloads, opening new opportunities for discovery in various scientific disciplines.”
AMD’s Role in High-Performance Computing
AMD continues to expand its influence in HPC and Ai, providing solutions for national laboratories and enterprises globally. The company’s latest EPYC 9005 Series processors and Instinct accelerators deliver significant performance gains for a wide range of applications.
Forrest Norrod, executive vice president and general manager at AMD, emphasised the company’s commitment to innovation.
“El Capitan breaking the exaflop barrier is a testament to the collaboration between AMD, LLNL, and HPE. We are shaping the future of computing by delivering performance and capabilities that merge HPC and Ai to tackle the world’s most challenging problems.”
Driving Energy Efficiency and Ai Integration
El Capitan, along with its companion system Tuolumne, exemplifies how energy-efficient computing can meet the demands of advanced Ai and machine learning applications. The systems will support a range of initiatives, from climate modeling and biosecurity research to inertial confinement fusion.
“Tuolumne focuses on unclassified open science applications, while El Capitan applies Ai to high-energy density problems,” de Supinski added.
AMD’s technologies are designed to balance computational power with sustainability. El Capitan and Frontier, the first exascale supercomputer powered by AMD, both rank among the Green500 list for energy-efficient systems.
Expanding AMD’s Reach in HPC
AMD’s footprint in HPC extends beyond El Capitan. The company is powering a range of new supercomputing projects, including:
- HPC 6: Eni’s supercomputer, powered by AMD EPYC CPUs and Instinct GPUs, ranks as the fifth fastest in the world.
- Sigma2 AS: Norway’s fastest supercomputer, currently being installed, uses 5th Gen AMD EPYC CPUs.
- University of Paderborn: A new system powered by AMD EPYC CPUs is being delivered for advanced scientific research.
AMD has also partnered with IBM to deploy Instinct MI300X accelerators as a service on IBM Cloud. This offering, expected in 2025, will enhance performance for generative Ai models and HPC applications. Additionally, Japan’s National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology will use AMD Instinct MI300A APUs for their next-generation supercomputing system.
Pioneering the Exascale Era
El Capitan is AMD’s second exascale-class system, following Frontier at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Both systems are advancing scientific discovery by enabling researchers to address complex problems such as climate change, biomedical research, and Ai model development.
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“These systems represent a monumental leap in computing power,” Norrod said. “By driving performance and energy efficiency, AMD continues to provide the tools researchers need to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.”
With its leadership in exascale computing, AMD is setting the stage for the next generation of HPC and Ai, empowering researchers and industries worldwide to drive innovation and discovery.
Last Updated on November 19, 2024 by Nick Ross
