HPE Builds Blue Lion Direct Liquid Cooled Supercomputer at the Leibniz Supercomputing Center

• 16 Dec 2024
• TM Team
• 0 Comments

The Leibniz Supercomputing Center (LRZ) of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities has commissioned Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to build its next high-performance computer, called "Blue Lion".

From 2027 on, Blue Lion will support cutting-edge research in Bavaria and, as a system of the Gauss Center for Supercomputing (GCS), will also be used for outstanding national science projects. The contracts were signed on December 13, 2024. The total costs of 250 million euros are shared by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts (StMWK).

Flexible architecture for different applications

The architecture of the new high-performance computer is designed to execute and combine classic workflows from modeling and simulation with artificial intelligence (AI) methods. More and more researchers are relying on surrogate models for their modelling of flows, turbulence or climate events, for which classic simulation calculations are combined with pattern recognition or statistical data analysis. This allows them to calculate more scenarios in less time or expand models with more complex calculations.

To support these workflows, Blue Lion leverages next-generation HPE Cray technology featuring next-generation accelerators and processors from NVIDIA. The system will also deliver fast data transfers between Blue Lion's compute and storage units through HPE Slingshot, a high-performance interconnect that transfers 400 gigabits of data per second and allows jobs to scale across the entire system. LRZ will also gain purpose-built system management capabilities with HPE Performance Cluster Management, a software management tool that allows LRZ to efficiently monitor and manage the great scale of the supercomputer.

With the latest cutting-edge technologies, Blue Lion gains more performance and scale to deliver around 30X more computing power, compared to SuperMUC-NG, the current LRZ high-performance computer.

New programming needed

The interaction of GPU accelerators and CPU cores in high-performance computers such as Blue Lion requires a new way of programming software and algorithms. This is enabled by the HPE Cray Programming Environment, which helps migrate science code to the new system. To enable users to use the accelerated hardware of the supercomputer efficiently, LRZ and HPE will offer workshops and courses starting in 2025, helping researchers to optimize and port their applications. In addition, LRZ plans to closely cooperate with the European team from Hewlett Packard Labs, and LRZ will also increase its support team by 50 percent by the time Blue Lion goes into operation.

Efficient and quiet

In the future, it will be much quieter in the Twin Cube of the LRZ: Blue Lion will employ 100 percent direct liquid cooling where 40°C warm water flows through the racks in copper pipes. The water-cooling system allows the waste heat from the system to be reused - the LRZ already uses waste heat from its current supercomputer to heat its offices and could in future supply other organizations in the neighborhood. Direct liquid cooling reduces operating costs and carbon dioxide emissions. Blue Lion also requires less space because server cabinets can be packed much more densely.

"Procuring a new supercomputer takes work, but it's incredibly exciting. We can already take a look into the future of supercomputing. This increases the anticipation and even more the excitement of how the scientific community will use this system to make even better progress into new realms of knowledge. After all, it's not about having the fastest supercomputer, but about providing the best possible support for cutting-edge research with our high-performance infrastructure," said Prof. Dieter Kranzlmüller, Head of the Leibniz Supercomputing Center.

"Supercomputing plays a pivotal role for progress in science and society, as well as for national competitiveness. LRZ's Blue Lion is another big step to reinforce Germany's position as a leading region for supercomputing and AI innovation. Blue Lion will significantly advance LRZ's computing capacity and also position them in a cutting-edge position with next-generation technologies that will set new standards for the future of supercomputing," said Heiko Meyer, Executive Vice President and Chief Sales Officer, Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

"The advancement of supercomputing, with a focus on energy efficiency and sustainability, is essential for pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery and innovation. Blue Lion, powered by NVIDIA's next-gen accelerators and processors, will help researchers tackle complex challenges across multiple disciplines, from astrophysics to life sciences," said John Josephakis, Global VP of Sales and Business Development for HPC and Supercomputing, NVIDIA.