STFC Hartree Centre Signs Agreement with Lenovo for Powerful New Supercomputer
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), a UK government agency, has announced an agreement with Lenovo for the installation of a new supercomputer at the STFC Hartree Centre. This powerful system, named Lenovo ThinkSystem Neptune, will be ten times more potent than its predecessor while using less electricity.
A Game-Changer for UK Industry: A 44.7 Petaflop System
This new supercomputer, part of the Hartree Centre’s £210 million digital technology investment, will be a 44.7 petaflop system, capable of performing more than 44 quadrillion calculations per second. If one calculation is carried out every second, it would take nearly 1400 million years to reach this number.
Revolutionizing ai Research for UK Industry
The Hartree Centre, located at STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory in the Liverpool City Region, is the UK’s only supercomputing centre dedicated to industry engagement. The Lenovo ThinkSystem Neptune will support the Hartree Centre’s rapidly expanding supercomputing and ai activities, making it perfect for UK industry as they explore the potential of advanced digital technologies.
Power-Efficient and Space-Saving Design
The new GPU-based system uses innovative warm water cooling, reducing energy demands by up to 40% while boosting performance by up to 10%. This design also takes up less space and uses less electricity per unit of performance.
Driving Forward UK Industry with ai
The Hartree Centre’s HNCDI programme plays a crucial role in equipping businesses with skills and technical knowledge to adopt emerging digital technologies like supercomputing, quantum computing, and ai. This access to advanced technologies will drive innovation and growth in UK organizations.
Addressing Global Challenges
At the HNCDI, the new supercomputer will contribute to discovery-led industrial research, focusing on solutions for global challenges in areas such as clean nuclear fusion energy and other industries like meteorology, manufacturing, and more.
A Collaborative Effort towards a Powerful ai Future
“We are very excited to collaborate with Lenovo on our next generation supercomputer at the Hartree Centre,” said Kate Royse, STFC Hartree Centre Director. “Our mission is to equip UK industry with knowledge, skills, and compute needed to fully unlock the potential of advanced digital technologies.” Noam Rosen, Lenovo’s EMEA HPC/ai Director, echoed the enthusiasm, emphasizing on delivering a powerful system tailored to meet the Centre’s diverse and evolving needs.
A Milestone for STFC and UK Industry
Mark Thomson, Executive Chair of STFC, sees this agreement as a significant milestone in their mission to provide UK businesses with access to essential infrastructure and expertise. By enabling industry adoption of advanced digital technologies, the UK can drive productivity and job creation while building a competitive digital economy and becoming a global ai superpower.
The Numbers Behind the HNCDI’s New Lenovo Supercomputer
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