鈥淚t鈥檚 very gratifying, but also a major challenge, that Link枚ping University is taking a national responsibility to connect all initiatives within high-performance computing and data processing. Our new supercomputer is a powerful addition to the important research carried out into such fields as the life sciences, machine learning and artificial intelligence鈥, says Jan-Ingvar J枚nsson, vice-chancellor of Link枚ping University.
The new supercomputer 鈥 Berzelius 鈥 takes its name from the renowned scientist Jacob Berzelius, who came from 脰sterg枚tland, the region of Sweden in which Link枚ping is located. The supercomputer is based on the Nvidia DGX Super Pod computing architecture and delivers 300 petaflops of AI performance. This makes Berzelius the fastest supercomputer in Sweden by far, and important for the development of Swedish AI research carried out in collaboration between the academic world and industry.
Reinforces research initiatives
Marcus Wallenberg is vice-chair of the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, which made construction of the new supercomputer possible by a donation of EUR 29.5 million.
Marcus Wallenberg, vice-chair of the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, took part in the digital inauguration of Berzelius. Photo credit Thor Balkhed鈥淲e are extremely happy for research in Sweden that the Wallenberg Foundations have been able to contribute to the acquisition of world-class computer infrastructure in a location that supplements and reinforces the major research initiatives we have made in recent years in such fields as AI, mathematics and the data-driven life sciences鈥, says Marcus Wallenberg.
The researchers who will primarily work with the supercomputer are associated with the research programmes funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, such as the Wallenberg AI Autonomous Systems and Software Program, Wasp. Anders Ynnerman, professor of scientific visualisation at Link枚ping University and programme director for Wasp, is happy to welcome the new machine.
鈥淩esearch in machine learning requires enormous quantities of data that must be stored, transported and processed during the training phase. Berzelius is a resource of a completely new order of magnitude in Sweden for this purpose, and it will make it possible for Swedish researchers to compete among the global vanguard in AI鈥, says Anders Ynnerman.
Advancement of science
Berzelius will initially be equipped with 60 of the latest and fastest AI systems from Nvidia, with eight graphics processing units and Nvidia Networking in each. Jensen Huang is Nvidia鈥檚 CEO and founder.
Niclas Andersson, technology manager at NSC and Jan-Ingvar J枚nsson, vice-chancellor of Link枚ping University, examine eight of 480 GPUs in Berzelius. Photo credit Thor Balkhed鈥淚n every phase of science, there has been an instrument that was essential to its advancement, and today, the most important instrument of science is the supercomputer. With Berzelius, Marcus and the Wallenberg Foundation have created the conditions so that Sweden can be at the forefront of discovery and science. The researchers that will be attracted to this system will enable the nation to transform itself from an industrial technology leader to a global technology leader鈥, says Jensen Huang.
The facility has networks from Nvidia, application tools from Atos, and storage capacity from DDN. The machine has been delivered and installed by Atos. Pierre Barnab茅 is Senior Executive Vice-President and Head of the Big Data and Cybersecurity Division at Atos.
鈥淲e are really delighted to have been working with Link枚ping University on the delivery and installation of this new high-performance supercomputer. With Berzelius, researchers will now have powerful computing power that is able to harnesses the power of deep learning and analytics, in order to speed-up data processing times, and provide researchers with insights faster, thereby helping Sweden to address some of the key challenges in AI and machine learning today鈥, says Pierre Barnab茅.
Technical specifications
Berzelius comprises 60 Nvidia DGX鈩 A100 systems interconnected with Nvidia Mellanox鈩 HDR 200 Gb/s Infini Band networking and four DDN AI400X鈩 with NVMe. The Atos Codex AI Suite will support researchers in using the system efficiently.
Sweden's fastest supercomputer Berzelius. Photo credit Thor Balkhed