New Atos BullSequana X supercomputer for IFISC (UIB-CSIC) research on Big Data and Complex Systems
On October 10th, the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) signed a contract with Atos for the acquisition of the new supercomputer of IFISC (Institute for Interdisciplinary Physics and Complex Systems). The new supercomputing cluster will be used for Big Data analysis and intensive numerical simulations.
The offer presented by Atos was the best evaluated among the 11 received in the public tender held at the European level for the acquisition of the cluster. Among the characteristics of the new equipment, it stands out to be built on Bull Sequana X430A5 servers with processors of last generation AMD EPYC Rome with Zen‑2 architecture of 7nm with excellent computational performance and unsurpassed communication bandwidth (8 memory channels at 3200MHz, 128 channels PCIe4.0). The cluster has 960 cores, 12TB of memory and 76TB of storage and communications at 25Gb/s between the servers and with overall performances significantly superior to the other proposals. Delivery and installation is scheduled for December 2019.
The acquisition of the equipment is framed in the infrastructure project EQC2018-004787‑P AEI/FEDER UE of the Spanish Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2017–2020 and is funded by the Ministry of Science Innovation and Universities (Spain), the Spanish Research Agency (AEI), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the University of the Balearic Islands.
A very substantial part of the scientific production of IFISC is based on intensive numerical simulations of models appropriate to the description of various complex systems. IFISC has taken advantage of the opportunities arising from the processing of large amounts of data (Big Data) from information technologies and has placed itself in a position of leadership in the analysis of these systems from a perspective of complex systems. The addition of the new supercomputer cluster will substantially enhance research capability and enable new challenges to be met.
Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems
IFISC is a joint research institute of the University of the Balearic Islands and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) created in 2007. Its mission is the development of strategic and interdisciplinary research within the framework of complex systems. Since 2018, it is accredited with the Unit of Excellence Maria de Maeztu by the Spanish Research Agency (AEI) as one of the most innovative centres in scientific research in Spain. IFISC is the only centre in the Balearic Islands with such recognition.
UIB
The University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) is a prestigious university recognized in research and with a strong international impact. This is reflected in the results achieved in different rankings that evaluate the quality of research and teaching. This year the UIB has entered for the first time in the group of the 500 best universities in the world, according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2019, better known as the Shanghai ranking.
Atos
Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with over 110,000 employees in 73 countries and annual revenue of over € 11 billion. European number one in Cloud, Cybersecurity and High-Performance Computing, the Group provides end-to-end Orchestrated Hybrid Cloud, Big Data, Business Applications and Digital Workplace solutions. The group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and operates under the brands Atos, Atos Syntel, and Unify. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea), listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index. The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information technology space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education as well as multicultural and pluralistic approaches to research that contribute to scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the group enables its customers, employees and collaborators, and society at large to live, work and develop sustainably and confidently in the information technology space.