Content about high-performance computing

Computer simulation has the power to enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to become more innovative and competitive. However, the cost of purchasing both the necessary hardware and software is often a major barrier to uptake.

Help is now at hand in the form of the CloudSME platform, through which simulation software packages and managed IT infrastructure can be rented on demand via a simple pay-per-use model.
 

To determine how early humans survived a population crash more than 100,000 years ago, archeologists looked to the Blacklight supercomputer at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center. Initial results have shed new light on the field, and promise significant increases in predictive power.

Criminals use technology to exploit their victims, but law enforcement lacks the time and expertise to develop the technology to respond. A student-led project recently won a $3.6 million DARPA grant to change that dynamic by devising cyber tools that identify online human trafficking activity.

Toni Collis, the coordinator of the Women in HPC initiative, shares her personal experiences and tells us about the efforts she’s leading to address these issues.

Between 2005 and 2013, over 26,000 cyclists were either killed or seriously injured in the UK. Researchers from Cardiff University are using supercomputing resources provided by HPC Wales to examine how 3D-printed materials can be used to manufacture ultra-lightweight customized bicycle helmets to improve their safety performance during impacts.

The shock financial crisis that started in 2007 provided a vivid demonstration of the unstable nature of our global financial system. Yet, academics from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland argue that a lack of globally-agreed standards for modeling financial contracts means that accurate comparison of risk exposures between banks is still almost impossible today.

Professor Stephan Roche of the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Spain is one of the early adopters of high-performance computing in Europe’s Graphene Flagship initiative. His latest project has received 22 million core hours from PRACE, the Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe. 

Roche has fifteen years of experience in developing novel algorithms and computational approaches that can be used to investigate quantum transporting in complex materials such as graphene. Here, we speak to him about his experience of working with PRACE.

iSGTW recently attended the ISC Cloud '14 conference in Heidelberg, Germany. The event focused on the intersection between cloud and high-performance computing (HPC), with in-depth first-hand reports on the latest technological developments in these fields. Researchers from a wide range of organizations discussed their work and offered practical recommendations about how to best utilize cloud-based computing.

The popular ISC Cloud and ISC Big Data events are being held this week in Heidelberg, Germany. Follow iSGTW on social media for highlights from the events and read our in-depth interviews with top speakers.

The financial services and medical insurance industries in the US account for 6-8% (more than a trillion dollars) of the gross domestic product annually, according to the US Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis. Read about XSEDE-supported research that considers unobservable market phenomena and how both industries could be improved.