Leading Supercomputer Launched at UVic
A high performance supercomputer unmatched by any university research computer in Canada was officially launched today at the University of Victoria, where it will be used in research ranging from cancer to the cosmos.
The IBM RS/6000 SP (nicknamed "Minerva" for the Roman goddess of wisdom) has 128 processors capable of performing billions of calculations per second.
"Minerva is a top facility for top researchers," UVic President David Turpin said. "It's made possible by a remarkable partnership of funding sources--for which the university is grateful. It's also a tribute to the many people at UVic whose persistence has brought this project to fruition."
Funding was provided by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the B.C. Knowledge Development Fund, the National Research Council and UVic, along with a research grant from IBM.
The supercomputer has a value of $5.98 million.
"Access to advanced equipment is critical to leading-edge research, to enable our researchers to compete globally, and to train young Canadians for the knowledge economy," said CFI President David Strangway. "The launch of this unique facility gives a tremendous boost to the global leadership of UVic, of B.C. and, ultimately, of Canada."
"This supercomputer makes it possible for UVic to aim higher and achieve new status, and it's an excellent example of what we can accomplish when different levels of government partner with our institutions and the private sector," said B.C. Advanced Education Minister Cathy McGregor.
John Kutcy, General Manager, Education Industry, IBM Canada Ltd, added: "UVic is respected as a leading centre for the study of sciences and engineering, and IBM is proud to enhance that reputation with our world-class technology. Through 'Deep Computing,' researchers are finding answers to some of life's most perplexing problems and IBM is very excited to be a part of this."
Minerva tests models based on numerical simulations, processes large digital images and crunches massive volumes of raw data for UVic researchers working in the natural sciences and engineering. As well, the Pacific Geoscience Centre has access to the computer and the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory has plans to use the facility.
Upgrades are already planned, including an addition of several trillion bytes of storage capacity and a five-fold increase in Minerva's computational capacity.
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