Supercomputers for academic research: Faster is always better

Chronicle of Higher Education : Fresh from a visit to the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Chronicle‘s Jeffrey Young reports on a growing appreciation among researchers that speed isn’t everything when it comes to scientific simulation. Having flexible software architecture is also important, as is ensuring that data can flow quickly among the supercomputer’s processors and memory stores. Blue Waters, NCSA’s newest supercomputer, might not make it into the top 10 fastest computers, but it incorporates innovative interconnects that can store as well as transfer data. Among Blue Waters’ new users is UIUC’s Klaus Schulten, who plans to simulate the function of complex subcellular units known as organelles.