EPCC News 95

From our Director

Welcome to the Summer 2024 issue of EPCC News.

I was struck when reading this issue by the number of mentions of GPU accelerators and how they are influencing every area of our research. Supercomputing has always progressed through sudden inflection points and we’re clearly living through one of those moments now. Artificial intelligence is driving much of the talk about GPUs – largely their availability and their price – but they are also at the heart of the new generation of supercomputers around the world.

You can see their impact throughout our diverse research portfolio, which we document in this issue. They are a key component of our projects and projects that use the Edinburgh International Data Facility. They are transforming traditional modelling and simulation – and are at the heart of most Exascale supercomputers. But because they are also used by the AI community, they are opening up research avenues which bring together AI and modelling and simulation in completely new ways.

Preparations for the UK’s first Exascale supercomputer are continuing. The work to extend the power and cooling distribution at the ACF is about to start. But a key preparatory action is now underway – a series of funding calls to support the work to move or rewrite applications so that they can take advantage of the GPU-based Exascale system. These projects will span all of UKRI’s research base and those with our industry partners. As a result, our diverse portfolio of activities looks set to grow even further.

It’s a very exciting time at EPCC. I hope you enjoy reading this edition of EPCC News.

Professor Mark Parsons, EPCC Director