Spokane

Tri-Cities lab to build supercomputer
$24.5 million Hewlett Packard system to be one of world's fastest

Tom Sowa
Staff writer

One of the world's fastest supercomputers will be built at a federal laboratory in the Tri-Cities, area officials said Tuesday.

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland will pay Hewlett Packard $24.5 million to install what would be the second-fastest computer on the planet, PNNL scientists said.

A computer based at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab in northern California is reportedly the fastest.

The new computer will have 1,400 Intel high-end processors.

Once installed, the supercomputer will help scientists across the country conduct research in cellular biology and molecular science.

"Scientists could use it to predict and understand the interactions between proteins that govern how cells communicate," PNNL spokesperson Staci Maloof said.

"That could lead to better understanding how cancer cells form or grow," she said.

The supercomputer also will be used by PNNL researchers to predict better ways to store or clean up radioactive wastes. Hewlett Packard will provide the hardware and software for the supercomputer, said David Dixon, assistant director for theory, modeling and simulation at PNNL.

Several companies competed for the contract, but Hewlett Packard's offer provided the fastest, most powerful system for the money, Dixon said.

Money for the computer comes from the federal government, which contracts with PNNL for a variety of research projects.

The new machine will be installed over the next year, Dixon said. It's expected to be operating in early 2003.

Scientists will earn processing time on the supercomputer by submitting research proposals to a PNNL committee.

One key feature, Maloof said, is that researchers across the country could use the new computer without having to come to Richland.

In 1997, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory installed an IBM supercomputer at its Richland facilities. At the time it ranked as the 12th-fastest computer on the planet.

But today, Dixon noted, that supercomputer ranks 188th.

The HP system, once installed, could perform computations 30 times faster than the IBM machine. Calculations that take a month can be done in a day, Maloof said.

"The one question we have is what to name it," she said. Supercomputers typically end up named with letters and numbers. The Livermore main supercomputer is called ASCI White.

"We want something easier to remember," Maloof said.

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has operated in the Tri-Cities for more than 15 years. It provides research and technology development in a range of areas, including national security and environmental science.

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