PULLMAN A next-generation, energy efficient mid-sized supercomputer has been installed at WSU for use in complex calculations that will advance fundamental work in the geological sciences.The $150,000 computer has 648 processors compared to the usual single processor in a standard personal computer. Advanced engineering allows the machine to save energy by getting as much as 14 times the computing power per unit of electricity as do other computer clusters.
“I’m incredibly excited to have the machine installed here. It will perform the calculations that make my research on Earth processes possible,” said Catherine Cooper, a new member of the faculty in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Cooper’s work creates mathematical models of how the heat and movement in the internal Earth create earthquakes, faults and folding at the surface of the globe. Her general field of study has practical applications in the energy exploration field where better understanding of what lies beneath the ground in oil fields can yield more fuel with less disruptive drilling. The work also can aid large metal-mining operations better understand where ore and precious minerals, such as diamonds, may exist at substantial depths.
“Computers can consume significant energy. One of the main reasons I choose to purchase this machine is that it’s engineered to work on much less electricity,” Cooper said.
The computer was installed this week at WSU by a team of staffers from manufacturer SiCortex.
The need for “greener” computing power was recently highlighted by analysis of a larger supercomputer in Britain that will be used to model the effects of global warming. It’s been shown in news reports to consume so much electricity that it contributes to the problem it seeks to understand.
“Some energy use cannot be avoided, of course,” Cooper said. “But the bottom line is that we need to be as efficient as we can, and this machine fits with that goal.”
Up until now, WSU has not had major computing power dedicated to geophysics or energy-efficient computational power.
“We’re pleased to acquire this capability to help nurture more expertise in this fundamental field that’s important to geology and the environmental sciences,” said SEES director Steve Bollens.
The machine will be available to other researchers at WSU, both in the sciences and other fields, Cooper said.
