'Big Red' takes on new meaning

IU is now home to the fastest supercomputer owned by a university and the 23rd fastest in the world, according to a recently released TOP500 list, which is complied twice a year by computer experts, computational scientists and manufacturers. \nThe installation of the $9 million computer began about three weeks ago and the University is preparing the computer to assist in its cutting edge research. \nThe supercomputer, named "Big Red" as suggested by Michael McRobbie, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, consists of an e1350 BladeCenter Cluster by IBM that uses new chip technology and is one of IBM's latest technologies, according to a press release.\nBig Red, which takes up 104 square feet at IU's Main Data Center on 10th Street and the 45/46 Bypass, is "super" because of its ability to process 20.4 trillion mathematical operations per second.\nMatt Link, acting director of Systems For Research and Academic Computing at IU, put that into perspective.\n"If a person were able to do a calculation on a calculator or laptop, it would take you over 637,500 years to do the same thing Big Red does in one second," he said. "That's not eating, that's not sleeping, that's doing a calculation every second."\nIn addition to its data processing efficiency, the supercomputer offers enhanced research capabilities pertaining to life sciences, weather forecasting and physics to local and IU researchers, which could ultimately provide "new breakthroughs in science," Link said. \nThe University announced the purchase of Big Red in April, and with the computer recently arriving, Link said they are working to prepare the system to be ready for research in the fall. \n"We've got to make sure the system will do what we expect it to," Link said. "It takes a lot of time to run all these tests (and for it) to perform as expected and we see no roadblocks."\nThe purchase of the computer was funded largely by the Indiana Metabolomics and Cytomics Initiative, which seeks to "advance life sciences research," according to its Web site. Big Red will assist METACyt in reaching some of its key goals by allowing scientists to analyze mass amounts of biological data, some of which could affect ways to treat and diagnose cancer, according to a press release.\nLink said research will probably start in August, but Big Red will not be open to public viewing.\n"We're in a secure building," he said. "We don't typically have access for general public." \nExceptions for class projects and people working directly with researches will be made, he said.\nLink said IU's acquisition of this supercomputer is more important than it is impressive. \n"The things that are above us in the top 20 (on the TOP500 list) are comprised of very large-scale national and international agencies," he said. "The important thing is this is the top university supercomputer in the United States."\nFor more information on METACyt, visit metacyt.indiana.edu