Supercomputer to revolutionize university research, boost funding


University scores supercomputer for research, funding and big data

supercomputer-UNLV-researchOne of the most powerful computers in the world is on its way to being connected to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

UNLV confirmed today that it received Intel’s “Cherry Creek” supercomputer, which will be stored at Switch’s SUPERNAP Data Center. With 10,000 processing cores, it has the power of 2,500 Mac desktops. It can crunch and store data in a matter of hours that would take the university’s current supercomputer a week.

That means, where it once took a week to compare 1,000 human genomes for Alzheimer’s research, researchers can now compare 100,000 genomes in that time.

“A lot of these calculations that would take many years to calculate, we can now do in a matter of weeks,” said Marty Schiller, executive director of of quantitative health sciences division at UNLV. “Every step up in the power enables new questions to be answered.”

UNLV researchers will be able to connect to the computer on campus through a software program. Cherry Creek is expected to not only enhance research projects at UNLV, but also bring in new grants and partnerships with private companies.

It’s the next step toward becoming a Tier 1 research university, UNLV acting President Don Snyder said.

“It has potential of allowing us to do things we only dreamed of,” Snyder said. “We don’t have the chance to get in the game if we don’t have those type of capabilities.”

(Next page: How the university scored the supercomputer; future capabilities)

Cherry Creek is made up of a 48-node cluster that takes up two racks at Switch’s data facility. Each node can store 128 gigabytes of memory. It is ranked 400th in the Top 500 supercomputers, and the 41st most energy efficient computer in the “Green 500″ rankings. Intel donated the computer to UNLV, but the university will be in charge of maintaining it.

The university’s partnership with Switch played a crucial role in obtaining the computer.

In most cases, a computer this powerful would require a new facility to store it because of the heat it generates and its size, said Jason Mendenhall, who is the executive vice president of Cloud at Switch. However, through UNLV’s partnership with Switch — where Snyder also serves on the board — the company was able to donate space to store it in its SUPERNAP facility.

That partnership helped UNLV rise above the other universities vying for the computer, Mendenhall said.

“Intel was looking for someone that has capacity to grow it and industry partnerships that could help advance it,” Mendenhall said. “They needed a place that they knew was a safe home and well-connected to the world.”

The computer is expected to be a catalyst for research at the university, enabling larger and larger amounts of data to be processed. That ability could lead to advancements in genomics, medical and climate research, molecular modeling and big data analytics.

But it’s also expected to bring in high-profile professors and serve as an academic tool for undergraduate and graduate students participating in research. It gives them an opportunity to participate in something most students only read about, said Jason Lombardo, director of UNLV’s supercomputer center.

“Having access to this technology will enhance and expand current research programs and I know it will enhance big data, educational experience,” Lombardo said. “Maybe just as important, it will play a very important role in faculty recruitment.”

Eventually, the university plans to partner with private companies to conduct research, which could bring in additional revenue to the school. Lombardo said he expects it to attract businesses to Las Vegas as well.

©2014 the Las Vegas Sun (Las Vegas, Nev.). Visit the Las Vegas Sun (Las Vegas, Nev.) at www.lasvegassun.com. Distributed by MCT Information Services

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