Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

An Engineer Recalls How AI Broke the Exascale Barrier

19/10/2021

Thorsten Kurth still remembers the night he discovered his team broke the exascale barrier.

On the couch at home at 9 p.m., he was pouring over the latest results from one of the first big jobs run on Summit, then the world's top supercomputer, based at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The 12-person team had spent nights and weekends seeking a way that AI could track hundreds of hurricanes and atmospheric rivers buried in terabytes of historical climate data.

Only a few weeks earlier, their software failed to run on more than 64 of the system's nodes.

But this time - just two days before a paper on the work was due - it exercised 4,560 of Summit's 4,608 nodes to deliver the results. In the process, it achieved 1.13 exaflops of mixed-precision AI performance.

That was a good feeling, a lot of hard work paid off, recalled Kurth of the work he led while at Lawrence Berkeley Lab in 2018.

Entering the Exascale Era Today, we celebrate the work of everyone who's cracked a quintillion operations per second.

That's a billion billion or 10 to the 18th power. That's why we mark Exascale Day on Oct. 18.

About the same time Kurth's team was completing its work, researchers at Oak Ridge also entered the exascale era, hitting 1.8, then 2.36 exaflops on Summit, analyzing genomics to better understand the nature of opioid addiction.

COVID-19 Ignites Exascale Work Since then, many others have pushed the limits of science with GPUs.

In March 2020, the Folding@home project put out a call for donations of free cycles on home computers to run research examining the COVID-19 virus.

Ten days later their virtual, distributed system surpassed 1.5 exaflops, creating a crowd-sourced exascale supercomputer fueled in part by more than 356,000 NVIDIA GPUs.

AI Supercomputing Goes Global Today, academic and commercial labs worldwide are deploying a new generation of accelerated supercomputers capable of exascale-class AI.

The latest is Polaris, a system Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is building at Argonne National Lab capable of up to 1.4 AI exaflops. Researchers will use it to advance cancer treatments, explore clean energy and push the limits of physics, work that will be accelerated by 2,240 NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPUs.

Another powerful system stands on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley. Perlmutter uses 6,159 A100 GPUs to deliver nearly 4 exaflops of AI performance for more than 7,000 researchers working on projects that include drawing the largest 3D map of the visible universe to date.

Polaris and Perlmutter also use NVIDIA's software tools to help researchers prototype exascale applications.

Europe Erects Exascale AI Infrastructure Atos will build an even larger AI supercomputer for Italy's CINECA research center. Leonardo will pack 14,000 A100 GPUs on an NVIDIA Quantum 200Gb/s InfiniBand network to hit up to 10 exaflops of AI performance.

It's one of eight systems in a regional network that backers call an engine to power Europe's data economy.

One of Europe's largest AI-capable supercomputers is slated to come online in Switzerland in 2023. Alps will be built by HPE at the Swiss National Computing Center using NVIDIA GPUs and Grace, our first data center CPU. It's expected to scale to heights up to 20 AI exaflops.

An Industrial HPC Revolution Begins The move to high-performance AI extends beyond academic labs.

Advances in deep learning combined with the simulation technology of accelerated computing has put us at the beginnings of an industrial HPC revolution, said NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang in a keynote earlier this year.

Selene uses a modular architecture based on the NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD NVIDIA was an early player in this trend.

In the first days of the pandemic, we commissioned Selene, currently ranked as the world's fastest industrial supercomputer. It helps train autonomous vehicles, refine conversational AI techniques and more.

In June, Tesla Inc. unveiled its own industrial HPC system to train deep neural networks for its electric cars. It packs 5,760 NVIDIA GPUs to deliver up to 1.8 exaflops.

Beyond the Numbers Three years after winning a Gordon Bell award for breaking the exascale barrier, Kurth, now a senior software engineer at NVIDIA, sees the real fruit of his team's labors.

Improved versions of the AI model they pioneered are now available online for any climate scientist to use. They handle in an hour what used to take weeks. Governments can use them to plan budgets for disaster response.

In the end, Exascale Day is all about the people, because to succeed at this level, you need an excellent team with specialists who understand every aspect of what you are trying to do, Kurth said.
LINK: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2021/10/18/exascale-day-ai/...
See more stories from nvidia

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

24/04/2026

Rohde & Schwarz to highlight its R&S EVSD1000 UAV-based navigation analyzer at IFIS 2026

Rohde & Schwarz to highlight its R&S EVSD1000 UAV-based navigation analyzer at I...

24/04/2026

Call for NFVF funding applications to attend Film Festivals and Markets taking place from 01 30 June 2026

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...

24/04/2026

Andrea Riseborough & Ashley Walters To Star In ITV Thriller First Woman' About Race To Find Missing Astronaut

ITV's Director of Drama Polly Hill has commissioned six part propulsive, lun...

24/04/2026

NASA Receives L3Harris' Modified Next-Generation Research Aircraft

The NASA 777 aircraft departs the L3Harris facility in Waco, Texas....

24/04/2026

L3Harris Closes $1B Investment from Department of War in Missile Solutions Business

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) has closed a $1 b...

24/04/2026

Autonomous Logistics is the Marine Corps' Next Combat Advantage

In partnership with Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc., L3Harris Technologies is advancing autonomous aviation for the U.S. Marine Corps' Aerial Logistics Co...

24/04/2026

Open, Connected, Decisive: the L3Harris hC2 Software Suite

L3Harris' hC2 software, powered by Systematic SitaWare, strengthens battlefield decision-making by using open architectures to connect platforms, sensors an...

24/04/2026

AERIS X Airborne Early Warning & Control: The Right Choice for Allied Homeland Defense

Artist rendering of L3Harris' AERIS X next-generation airborne early warning...

24/04/2026

AgileTV showcases its TV solutions at NAB Show and wins Best of Show Award

AgileTV presents in Las Vegas its technological proposition to power safer, more scalable and efficient TV ecosystems for telecom operators, ISPs and entertainm...

24/04/2026

Canada's Cgep de Jonquire chooses Brio

Canada's C gep de Jonqui re and Calrec take five with a substantial TV studio upgrade Underscoring its global reputation as one of Canada's most renowne...

24/04/2026

NAB 2026: 5 Reasons to Join Calrec at NAB

Redefining Broadcast Workflows at NAB 2026 with our Most Powerful Hardware, Virtual and Hybrid Audio Lineup Yet We're looking forward to meeting up with you...

24/04/2026

Bitfocus Buttons wins NAB Show Product of the Year Award

Recognition for incredible advances in broadcast and enterprise control...

24/04/2026

Dalet Takes Home The Best in Show Award for Dalia at 2026 NAB

Dalet Takes Home The Best in Show Award for Dalia at 2026 NAB Brie Clayton April 23, 2026 0 Comments Media-aware agentic AI wins big for real-world ef...

24/04/2026

Calrec and Grass Valley Unlock Exceptional Choice and Flexibility for Broadcasters with ImPulseV and AMPP Integration

Calrec and Grass Valley Unlock Exceptional Choice and Flexibility for Broadcaste...

24/04/2026

Bitfocus Buttons wins NAB Show Product of the Year Award

Bitfocus Buttons wins NAB Show Product of the Year Award Brie Clayton April 24, 2026 0 Comments Recognition for incredible advances in broadcast and e...

24/04/2026

NAB Show Reports More Than 58,000 Registered Attendees for 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/04/2026

Dalet Takes Home The Best in Show Award for Dalia at 2026...

Media-aware agentic AI wins big for real-world efficiencies and time to value Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, to...

24/04/2026

Mediagenix Sweeps 2026 NAB Awards With Wins for Product o...

Mediagenix wins for its Scheduling Optimization capabilities that help broadcasters and FAST operators move beyond traditional scheduling automation toward cont...

24/04/2026

Setplex Secures Top Honors with NAB Show Project of the Y...

Setplex today announced that it has taken home the NAB Show Project of the Year Award in the Distribution category for its innovative deployment with UVOtv. Dur...

24/04/2026

farmerswife and Cirkus are Exhibiting MPTS 2026

Media and post-production teams are invited to experience next-level resource planning, project management, and connected media workflows at Stand K59 in The Gr...

24/04/2026

Dolby Elevates In-Car Entertainment to New Heights at Auto China 2026

April 24 2026, 00:00 (PDT) Dolby Elevates In-Car Entertainment to New Heights at Auto China 2026 More Automakers, More Models: Dolby-enabled Vehicles Drive...

24/04/2026

Dolby Cinema Arrives in Tamil Nadu: Dolby Laboratories and LA Cinema Launch the State's First Dolby Cinema in Trichy

April 24 2026, 06:48 (PDT) Dolby Cinema Arrives in Tamil Nadu: Dolby Laboratori...

23/04/2026

NAB Honors Rob Lowe and John Tesh With Hall of Fame Induction

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/04/2026

Roku, Samsung Dominate CTV Platform Market in U.S.

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/04/2026

G&D and VuWall Strengthen International Sales Team

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/04/2026

The 2026 NAB Show Reports More than 58,000 Attendees

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/04/2026

SmallHD Monitor Overlay License for Hi-5 and Hi-5 SX deli...

Partnership between ARRI and SmallHD brings new Hi-5 license Configurable monitor overlays adapt to individual working styles Supported by SmallHD monitors ru...

23/04/2026

Jeff Cronenweth ASC Sheds Light on Tron Ares with Astera

Lighting Master Cronenweth ASC brings a unique look to each grid world with the help of Astera Jeff Cronenweth on the set of Disney's TRON: ARES. Photo by...

23/04/2026

ZEISS Supreme Primes Shine in Star-Driven Short Dr Sam

DP Chloe Smolkin ( The Late Show, Kidz Bop ) joins director Danielle Beckmann and writer/actor Raji Ahsan behind the camera for the heartfelt short comedy Dr...

23/04/2026

Apply now to join the 2026 Producer Delegation to TIFF: The Market

Apply now to join the 2026 Producer Delegation to TIFF: The Market 23 April 2026 Screen Australia, in partnership with Ontario Creates, has opened application...

23/04/2026

Strange Things Are Happening at McDonald's: The 'Tales From 85' Happy Meal Arrives Soon in Restaurants Worldwide

Back to All News Strange Things Are Happening at McDonald's: The Tales From...

23/04/2026

How Netflix Adaptations Are Heating Up the Top 10 and Bestseller Lists

Back to All News How Netflix Adaptations Are Heating Up the Top 10 and Bestseller Lists Entertainment 23 April 2026 Global Link copied to clipboard Downlo...

23/04/2026

FOX Advertising Launches FOX AdStudio, Unifying Audience Intelligence Across Its Premium Portfolio

FOX Advertising Launches FOX AdStudio, Unifying Audience Intelligence Across Its...

23/04/2026

Dalet Takes Home The Best in Show Award for Dalia at 2026 NAB

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced that Dalia, its agentic AI solution for media & entertainment, ha...

23/04/2026

New RT series Masters: Keepers of Tradition delves into the remarkable world of rare skills and crafts

Six crafts. Six lives. Six reasons to believe that making things by hand still...

23/04/2026

AMATEUR DRAMA TAKES CENTRE STAGE AS THE 2026 RT ALL IRELAND DRAMA FESTIVAL LAUNCHES IN THE ABBEY THEATRE

The festival programme promises a feast of drama, a bumper packed fringe festiva...

23/04/2026

OpenAI's New GPT-5.5 Powers Codex on NVIDIA Infrastructure - and NVIDIA Is Already Putting It to Work

AI agents have revolutionized developer workflows, and their next frontier is kn...

23/04/2026

Tag, You're It: GeForce NOW Levels Up Game Discovery With Xbox Game Pass and Ubisoft+ Labels

GeForce NOW is doubling down on what matters most: gamers. This week's upgra...

22/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Solid State Logics Berny Carpenter on Expanding System T With Virtual DSP, Cloud Workflows

Solid State Logic is advancing its System T platform with a stronger focus on IP...

22/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Dolbys Giles Baker on the Growth of Dolby OptiView, Immersive Vision and Audio for Live Sports

From immersive audio to live streaming, Dolby Laboratories is focused on the fut...

22/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Blackmagic Design's Bob Caniglia on Implementing Cinematic Looks in Live Broadcasts

Shallow depth-of-field cameras have taken the industry by storm. Its debut a han...

22/04/2026

NAB 2026: Eastern Kentucky University deploys campus-wide ST 2110 network with Riedel and Bridge Digital

Riedel Communications (Booth C4908) announced that Eastern Kentucky University (...

22/04/2026

SportsTechBuzz at NAB 2026, Day 4: Live Reports From the Show Floor in Vegas

The NAB Show is in full swing, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams are chasing down the hottest stories from all over the Las Vegas Convention Center. He...