Worcester Polytechnic Institute install 32 processor SP

Worcester 09 Nov 99 Worcester Polytechnic Institute has taken delivery of an 32 processor IBM RS/6000 SP supercomputer to develop computational models that will help researchers tackle complex problems ranging from solving the mysteries behind accidental fires and explosions, to why plaque causes human arteries to collapse, to improved design of highway traffic barriers.

Through its Shared University Research Program, IBM Corp. gave WPI nearly $1.1 million in hardware and software. In addition, United Technologies and the National Science Foundation provided funds, along with some cost sharing by WPI. The total grant came to $1.34 million.

The RS/6000 SP, running AIX, IBM's UNIX operating system, will be used primarily in mathematical sciences, but also by other departments, said Homer Walker, professor and head of the WPI Department of Mathematical Sciences.

"This will be the first major supercomputer on campus, a milestone development for our department and for WPI," he said. "The total hardware acquisition will amount to an RS/6000 SP with 16 Power3 nodes (32 processors), a control workstation and two high-performance dual-processor graphics workstations. A significant software grant will enable us to use the parallel machine effectively."

Users of the supercomputer will include faculty as well as graduate and undergraduate students in mathematical sciences and other departments. "Ultimately, I see the whole campus using it for many demanding computational tasks," Walker said. "It will enable us to do cutting-edge research in computational modeling."

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