Contents
In this blog post, we’ll explore how to build an Exascale computer using old technology. We’ll discuss the challenges and benefits of this approach, and provide some tips on how to get started.
Checkout this video:
Introduction
Old technology can be used to build an exascale computer. With the right mix of parts, an exascale computer can be made using old technology. This document will show you how to use old technology to build an exascale computer.
The Need for Exascale Computing
Supercomputers are important tools in many scientific and industrial fields. They allow researchers to run complex simulations and model real-world phenomena that would be otherwise impossible to study. They also help businesses make better, faster decisions by analyzing large data sets.
The current generation of supercomputers is nearing its limit, however. To continue making progress in science and industry, we need a new generation of supercomputers that are much more powerful than the ones we have today. These next-generation machines will be exascale computers, capable of a billion billion (1,000,000,000,000,000) calculations per second.
Building an exascale computer is a daunting task. Not only do we need to develop new hardware and software technologies to achieve such high performance levels, but we also need to find ways to keep these computers energy-efficient. Exascale computers will require massive amounts of power, so we need to find ways to reduce their energy consumption.
One way to achieve this is by using old tech. In this article, we’ll explore how old tech can be used to build an exascale computer.
Old Tech That Can Be Used in Exascale Computers
There are a few different types of old tech that can be used in exascale computers:
– Obsolete CPUs: We can use CPUs that are no longer manufactured or supported by the manufacturer. These CPUs can often be found second-hand or through surplus dealers.
– End-of-life GPUs: We can use GPUs that have reached the end of their life cycle and are no longer supported by the manufacturer. Like obsolete CPUs, these GPUs can often be found second-hand or through surplus dealers.
– FPGAs: We can use FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) that are no longer needed for their original purpose. FPGAs are reprogrammable chips that can be configured to perform a variety of tasks. They’re often used for prototyping new chips or for testing chip designs before manufacturing them.
– ASICs: We can use ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) that are no longer needed for their original purpose. ASICs are chips that are designed for a specific application or range of applications. They’re often used in devices where performance is critical, such as cell phones and Bitcoin miners.
Current State of Exascale Computing
As of early 2020, no exascale computer has yet been built. However, many research groups and companies are working on the necessary technology. In the united states the Department of Energy has launched the Exascale Computing Project (ECP), with the goal of developing an exascale computer by 2023. Several other countries, including China, France, and Japan, are also working on exascale computing projects.
The biggest challenge in building an exascale computer is the amount of power that would be required to run it. An exaflop computer would require about a gigawatt of power, which is about as much power as a small city uses. Current supercomputers use between 1 and 5 petaflops, or one-quintillion calculations per second. The most powerful supercomputer in the world, China’s Sunway TaihuLight, can perform 93 petaflops.
To put this into perspective, if each calculation were a grain of sand, an exaflop computer could process all the sand on all the beaches on Earth in one second.
Building an Exascale Computer
Exascale Computing Components
As you may know, an exascale computer is a computer system capable of Calculating at least 10^18 floating point operations per second. We haven’t reached this level of performance yet but that doesn’t mean we’re not working on it. In order to build an exascale computer, you need four main components:
-A processor that can handle more than 10^18 FLOPS
-A fast and reliable memory system
-An I/O system that can keep up with the processor
-Power management and cooling systems that can handle the heat generated by the other components
We’ll take a look at each of these components in turn and see how they fit into an exascale computer.
A processor that can handle more than 10^18 FLOPS is obviously the most important component of an exascale computer. There are a few different ways to achieve this level of performance, but the most common way is to use many small processors working in parallel. This approach is known as “manycore” computing.
One way to think of it is to imagine aprocessor with 1,000 cores. Each core would be responsible for its own small part of the overall calculation, and the results would be combined at the end. This kind of processor would be able to achieve an impressive level of performance, but it would also generate a lot of heat. This leads us to our next component: power management and cooling systems.
Power management and cooling systems are crucial for any high-performance computing system, but they’re especially important for an exascale computer. The heat generated by 1,000 cores working in parallel would be enormous, so these systems need to be able to keep the temperature under control.
The last component we’ll discuss is the I/O system. An I/O system is responsible for moving data into and out of the computer’s memory. In order to achieve Exascale levels of performance, this data needs to be moved very quickly. The fastest way to do this is with a technology called “network attached storage” (NAS). NAS systems use a network of high-speed storage devices connected directly to the processors. This approach can achieve Exascale levels of performance, but it’s also very expensive.
The Interconnection Network
The interconnection network is one of the most important components of an exascale computer. It is responsible for connecting all of the different parts of the computer together so that they can communicate with each other. There are many different ways to design an interconnection network, but all of them have to balance two competing factors: bandwidth and latency.
Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be moved from one part of the network to another in a given period of time. Latency is the amount of time it takes for a bit of data to travel from one part of the network to another. When you are designing an interconnection network, you have to find a balance between these two factors. Too much bandwidth will result in a lot of data being sent back and forth, which will use up too much power and cause the system to overheat. Too little bandwidth will result in tasks taking too long to complete because they have to wait for data to be sent back and forth.
There are many different ways to design an interconnection network. Some common designs are tree-based networks, ring-based networks, and mesh-based networks. Each type of design has its own pros and cons, so it is important to choose the right one for your needs.
Tree-based networks are very good at providing high bandwidth with low latency. However, they are not very resilient to failures because if one part of the network goes down, the entire system will go down with it. Ring-based networks are more resilient to failures because they can route around problems. However, they do not provide as much bandwidth as tree-based networks do. Mesh-based networks provide high bandwidth and high resilience, but they can be more complex to design and build than other types of interconnection networks.
The Operating System
The operating system is critically important for an exascale computer. Not only does it need to be able to handle the immense amount of data that will be processed, but it also needs to be able to manage the different types of processing that will take place. In addition, the operating system must be able to keep track of which parts of the computer are being used for what tasks and make sure that they are all working together efficiently.
Conclusion
From a hardware perspective, the majority of exascale systems will likely be built using traditional CPU and GPU architectures. However, there is a growing interest in using alternative architectures such as FPGAs, DNN accelerators, and other custom chips. In terms of software, the focus will be on developing new programming models and tools that can exploit the parallelism of exascale hardware.
