Blog
Multi-network MPI on Intel Omni-Path
Author: Adrian JacksonPosted: 17 Jul 2019 | 14:11
As part of the NEXTGenIO project we have a prototype HPC system that has two Intel Omni-Path networks attached to each node. The aim of having a dual-rail network setup for that system is to investigate the performance and functionality benefits of having separate networks for MPI communications and for I/O storage communications, either directing Lustre traffic and MPI traffic over separate networks, or using a separate network to access NVDIMMs over RDMA. We were also interested in the performance benefits for general applications exploiting multiple networks for MPI traffic, if and where possible.
IoT Research and Innovation service
Author: Guest bloggerPosted: 9 Jul 2019 | 13:51
Guest blogger Simon Chapple introduces the University of Edinburgh's IoT Research and Innovation Service.
Most people will have heard of the Internet of Things (IoT). It is a hot topic in technology, business and the mainstream news, projected as it is to underpin a future trillion-dollar market at least as large as, and by some estimations even greater than, the cloud-based computing services industry. We define IoT as a network of dedicated physical objects that contain embedded technology to sense and interact with the external environment, and that can connect and exchange data.
Active matter in an active city
Author: Guest bloggerPosted: 9 Jul 2019 | 13:39
Giuseppe Negro undertook an HPC-Europa3 visit based in Edinburgh from 15/04/19–27/05/19. He gives us a brief overview of his visit and the work he undertook.
Hi everyone! My name is Giuseppe Negro and I am a PhD student at the University of Bari in Italy. I work in computational modelling of soft matter systems with Prof. Giuseppe Gonnella and with my collegue Livio Nicola Carenza, who was also an HPC-Europa3 visitor in Edinburgh, at the Department of Physics in Bari. I visited EPCC under the HPC-Europa3 transnational access programme, and I was hosted by Prof. D. Marenduzzo at the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Edinburgh located at the James Clerk Maxwell Building.
HPC for urgent decision-making
Author: Nick BrownPosted: 5 Jul 2019 | 11:13
The EU VESTEC research project is focused on the use of HPC for urgent decision-making and the project team will be running a workshop at SC’19.
VESTEC will build a flexible toolchain to combine multiple data sources, efficiently extract essential features, enable flexible scheduling and interactive supercomputing, and realise 3D visualisation environments for interactive explorations.
Widening access to HPC for Europe’s SMEs
Author: Chris JohnsonPosted: 3 Jul 2019 | 11:50
The SHAPE programme, led by EPCC, has helped over 40 companies across Europe to get a foot on the HPC ladder, with benefits including reduced costs and faster time to market.
SHAPE was set up to raise awareness of high-performance computing (HPC) among European SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and to provide them with the expertise required to take advantage of the innovation possibilities created by HPC. The ultimate aim of the programme is to increase the competitiveness of SMEs in Europe.
Taking the sting out of gout
Author: Amy KrausePosted: 1 Jul 2019 | 10:48
Gout is estimated to affect 2.5% of the UK population, and is increasing globally in association with cardiovascular disease and obesity. EPCC has been working with Dr Philip Riches of the MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine to develop a new app that could lead to improved treatment and better quality of life for patients.
Gout is a type of arthritis caused by excess uric acid in the blood. It is characterised by sudden attacks of intense pain that result in reduced quality of life, work absence and disability. The standard treatment for the condition involves close monitoring of blood urate levels and medication, but the high level of health professional support required to ensure a long term cure of gout is rarely delivered: fewer than half of eligible patients receive preventive treatment and fewer than half of those on treatment receive an adequate dose of medication.
Computing for extreme conditions
Author: Rosa FilgueiraPosted: 27 Jun 2019 | 10:06
The DARE project is addressing the challenges of combining extreme data, extreme computation and extreme complexity in scientific research.
Virtually every scientific domain is experiencing an increase in the volume of data it produces, with growing computational power enabling more complex simulations. Although comparing these simulations with observation can improve models and understanding, it is highly data-intensive.
Powering biomolecular research through advanced computing
Author: Arno ProemePosted: 25 Jun 2019 | 15:51
BioExcel is a Centre of Excellence that supports academic and industrial researchers in the use of advanced computing in biomolecular research. It has received follow-on Horizon 2020 funding from the EU Commission to continue and expand its activities for a period of three years starting from January 2019.
Collaboration delivers competitive products faster
Author: Kostas KavoussanakisPosted: 21 Jun 2019 | 10:32
Optos is a leading provider of medical products and services to eyecare professionals. A collaboration between Optos, EPCC, and Intel has led to significant improvement in the performance of a software algorithm used in a product under development by the company.
The project set out to identify a suitably priced Intel multicore processor on which to run the company’s code, and to accelerate an important Optos machine-learning code. The project baseline was Optos code running on a specific Intel chip and the target was to reduce its runtime to below 12 seconds on the preferred chip.
Privacy, transparency and control: disrupting the charitable-giving sector
Author: Guest bloggerPosted: 18 Jun 2019 | 15:57
EPCC has been working closely with Edinburgh-based fintech company Sustainably, supporting its rapid growth in the charitable giving sector. Here Loral Quinn, Co-founder and CEO at Sustainably, describes our collaboration.
Sustainably is disrupting a $400 billion market by making it easier for businesses and consumers to have a positive impact every day by rounding up cashless transactions and donating spare change to causes they care about automatically every time they shop.
