[Shacs] [Fwd: HPCwire News Flash: World's First Cell-BasedSupercomputer]

Mon Oct 23 10:11:50 CDT 2006

There's a really great microscope snap of a cell processor on the wiki here:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/CeLL_die_large.jpg
(big zoom-in)
It's interesting to see the repeated component blocks within on the left and
right sides.

So a cell processor is probably specialized in large movement and
calculations-- maybe too specialized to be of any real value to
general-purpose PCs like desktops running Windows?  (whereas a game cpu
lives in a 3d vector world, and a majority of its computation goes into such
processing).  Maybe that's why it's pushing the bar in gaming and seemingly
"lagging" in desktops?

On 10/23/06, Eric Keown <Eric at dpis.com> wrote:
>
>  The Cell is a processor that was developed by IBM, Sony, and Toshiba.  It
> is best known as the processor inside the upcoming Playstation 3, and is
> based on the Power PC processor architecture.
>
>
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_microprocessor
>
>
>
> So to answer your question a cell-based super computer would be a super
> computer that relies on the Cell microprocessor.
>
>
>
> On a side note, I think it really is amazing that the processors that are
> being designed for the new video game consoles are significantly more
> powerful than what is commercially available to consumers when they launch.
> The Xbox 360 processor, for example, has 3 processing core that all run at
> 3.2GHz, and the chip has been out for almost a full year now around the
> time when dual cores were showing up in home computers.  It should be
> mentioned that IBM also helped design Microsoft's Xbox 360 processor as
> well.  I believe this would be the first time that the technology used in
> video game consoles are ahead of the curve rather than being behind it.
>
>
>
> Eric
>
>
>   ------------------------------
>
> *From:* shacs-bounces at shsu.edu [mailto:shacs-bounces at shsu.edu] *On Behalf
> Of *Bronius Motekaitis
> *Sent:* Monday, October 23, 2006 8:34 AM
> *To:* SHACS
> *Subject:* Re: [Shacs] [Fwd: HPCwire News Flash: World's First
> Cell-BasedSupercomputer]
>
>
>
> What's a cell-based super computer?  (Burris asked me to ask the list..)
>
>
> On 10/9/06, *Dr. Tim McGuire* <mcguire at shsu.edu > wrote:
>
> Thought you all might find this interesting.
>
> -------- Original Message --------
>
> *Subject: *
>
> HPCwire News Flash: World's First Cell-Based Supercomputer
>
> *Date: *
>
> Mon, 9 Oct 2006 12:20:01 -0400 (EDT)
>
> *From: *
>
> HPCwire <hpcmore at news.hpcwire.com> <hpcmore at news.hpcwire.com>
>
> *To: *
>
> mcguire at shsu.edu
>
>
>
> Tomorrow, Terra Soft will officially announce the construction of the
>
> world's first Cell-based supercomputing cluster.
>
>
> In the fall of 2005, Terra Soft was contacted by Sony Computer
>
> Entertainment, Inc. (SCEI) to develop and manage a supercomputing
>
>
>
> cluster built upon the IBM Cell Broadband Engine and the Linux OS. This
>
> spring, Terra Soft was contracted by Sony and in August completed the
>
> construction of a 3000 sq-ft supercomputing facility capable of housing
>
>
>
> 2400 1U systems. In this remodeled extension to the Loveland, Colorado
>
> headquarters, Terra Soft will construct a test cluster and a
>
> substantially larger production cluster, dubbed "E.coli" and "Amoeba"
>
>
>
> respectively.
>
>
> Terra Soft will use the test cluster "E.coli" to conduct advanced
>
> software development, optimization, and testing with emphasis on Y-HPC
>
> and Y-Bio applied to the Cell Broadband Engine. The production cluster
>
>
>
> "Amoeba" will be made available to select University and Department of
>
> Energy laboratories to further life sciences research.
>
>
> The clusters will incorporate, in part, Cell-based PS3 systems. The Cell
>
>
>
> Broadband Engine provides a "1 + 8" multi-core processing environment,
>
> enabling optimized code to function at a superior level of performance
>
> over traditional single or dual core CPUs. With all 8 cores on a single
>
>
>
> chip, the code processes do not lose performance by dropping down to the
>
> memory bus as with historic, multiple CPU configurations.
>
>
> Glen Otero, Director of Life Sciences Research for Terra Soft Solutions
>
> explains, "This cluster represents a two-fold opportunity: to optimize a
>
>
>
> suite of open-source life science applications for the Cell processor;
>
> to develop a hands-on community around this world-first cluster whereby
>
> researchers and life science studies at all levels may benefit. Once up
>
>
>
> and running with our first labs engaged, we will expand the community
>
> through invitations and referrals, supporting a growing knowledge base
>
> and library of Cell optimized code, open and available to life science
>
>
>
> researchers everywhere."
>
>
> Lawrence Berkeley National Lab is working with Terra Soft to optimize a
>
> suite of life science applications. Los Alamos and Oak Ridge National
>
> Labs are also engaged, with select universities coming on-board early in
>
>
>
> 2007. Terra Soft is working to optimize the entire Y-Bio bioinformatics
>
> suite.
>
>
> Thomas Swidler, Sr. Director of Research & Development at SCEI states,
>
> "This cluster is for Sony a means of demonstrating the diversity of the
>
>
>
> PS3, taking it well beyond the traditional role of a game box. While we
>
> are not in the business of competing for the  <http://Top500.org>
>
> *Top500.org* nor building
>
> cluster components, this creative use of the PS3 beta systems enables
>
> Sony to support a level of real world research that may produce very
>
> positive, beneficial results."
>
>
> Regarding Terra Soft's contribution to the project, Swidler continued,
>
>
>
> "In working with Terra Soft, we found a single source for the operating
>
> system, cluster construction tools, and bioinformatics software suite.
>
> Again, their dedication to detail and professional results has surpassed
>
>
>
> our expectations. We are very eager for the completion of this initial
>
> phase in order that the research may begin."
>
>
> Both clusters will run the new Yellow Dog Linux v5.0 operating system; a
>
> beta version of Y-HPC
>
> v2.0, the first commercial, cross-architecture
>
> Linux cluster construction suite; the Moab cluster management suite by
>
> Cluster Resources; and Y-Bio v1.1, a suite of gene sequence analysis
>
> tools soon to be optimized for the Cell processor.
>
>
>
>
> Kai Staats, CEO of Terra Soft offers, "Working to complete the cluster
>
> facility has been the highlight of my time in this industry, a truly
>
> gratifying experience. What we have accomplished this spring and summer
>
>
>
> showcases the peak of our design, coordination, and engineering effort
>
> ... from facility design and construction in July and August to the
>
> cluster build-out in November and December -- our best effort to date."
>
>
>
>
> The final cluster components are to arrive early November with the
>
> cluster slated to be fully operational with the close of the year.
>
>
> As a guest of IBM at the annual Supercomputing 2006 (SC06) trade show,
>
>
>
> Nov 11-17 in Tampa, Terra Soft will showcase Yellow Dog Linux v5.0,
>
> Y-HPC v2.0 beta, and Y-Bio v1.1 on a small cluster of PS3s. More
>
> information about YDL, Y-HPC, and Y-Bio are available at Terra Soft's
>
> website,
>
> www.terrasoftsolutions.com.
>
>
> This story is also available on HPCwire's website at:
>  <http://www.hpcwire.com/hpc/967146.html>
>
> *http://www.hpcwire.com/hpc/967146.html*
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> Timothy J. McGuire, Ph.D.
>
> Department of Computer Science
>
> Sam Houston State University
>
> Huntsville, Texas  77341-2090
>
> (936)294-1571   <mcguire at shsu.edu>
>
> *mcguire at shsu.edu*       http://www.shsu.edu/~csc_tjm/ <http://www.shsu.edu/%7Ecsc_tjm/>
>
>
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