'Aurora,' new super computer at Argonne National Lab to help solve science's biggest problems
The Brief
Aurora, a $500 million supercomputer at Argonne National Lab, can perform a quintillion calculations per second and will run 24/7.
Spanning two basketball courts, it supports research in cancer, AI, astrophysics, and more.
Scientists worldwide can apply to use Aurora, which is seen as a major tool for global scientific breakthroughs.
LEMONT, Ill. - Whether it’s nuclear fusion, curing cancer or exploring the universe, scientists at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont have a big and fast new computing tool at their disposal.
And its name is Aurora.
What we know
"We’re here to celebrate Aurora, which is our new supercomputer," said Argonne Director of Science for Supercomputing Katherine Riley. "It’s one of the biggest systems in the world."On Wednesday, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for one of the biggest artificial brains in the world, which was switched on earlier this year.
Aurora is a supercomputing system as large as two basketball courts, taking up an entire floor at Argonne. It's powered with 300 miles of cable and cooled by 44,000 gallons of water.
"Aurora is a strategic national asset for America, and it’s already helping us deliver breakthrough science for global impact," said Argonne Laboratory Director Paul Kearns.What makes this computer special is the number and speed of calculations it can perform each second.
That number? A one followed by 18 zeros.
It's the same as if every human being on earth simultaneously solved 125 million math problems in a second.
"It’s big. We’re talking about a really big number," said Riley. Aurora will be made available to scientists and researchers from all over the world to solve all manner of problems.
"Every area of biology. Astrophysics. Cosmology and how we blow up stars. Chemistry. Material science. Particle physics," said Riley. University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos said supercomputers like Aurora are at the forefront of artificial intelligence.
"Essentially, we’re at the dawn of the age of thinking as scientists with machines, where the machines are equal partners," he said.The $500 million supercomputer was built with funds from the Department of Energy.
Energy Sec. Chris Wright, on hand for the dedication, said artificial intelligence is not something to be feared.
"Artificial intelligence isn’t humans. It’s a tool to make humans more powerful and grow their dreams and grow their achievements," Wright said.So who gets to use Aurora? Scientists, researchers, and companies interested in using its brain power must apply for time on the machine.
And yes, it will be running 24/7, 365 days a year.
The Source
Details for this story were provided by Fox 32 reporting.
