Source URL: https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/21/eviden_finland_supercomputer/
Source: The Register
Title: Eviden seals €60M deal for Finnish supercomputer amid Atos turmoil
Feedly Summary: Despite parent’s financial turbulence, subsidiary continues to secure major contracts
Eviden continues to win supercomputer contracts despite the struggles of parent company Atos, announcing a €60 million ($63 million) signing for a Finnish national supercomputer that will triple the performance of the country’s existing facilities.…
AI Summary and Description: Yes
Summary: The announcement of the Finnish national supercomputer Roihu signifies a significant advancement in computational capabilities, particularly in AI performance. Eviden, a subsidiary of Atos, continues to secure supercomputer contracts despite the financial challenges faced by its parent company, underlining the ongoing demand for enhanced data management and computing resources in Europe.
Detailed Description: The recent developments surrounding the Finnish supercomputer Roihu represent a pivotal moment in high-performance computing (HPC) and AI application capabilities in Europe. Key points include:
– **Contract and Financials**: Eviden has secured a €60 million deal to construct a supercomputer that will significantly enhance Finland’s computational power. This move comes amidst Atos’s struggles, showcasing Eviden’s resilience in the market.
– **Supercomputer Specifications**:
– Roihu will utilize BullSequana XH3000 architecture.
– It will feature 486 nodes with dual 192-core AMD “Turin” Epyc processors, totaling 186,624 compute cores.
– Incorporation of 528 Nvidia GH200 GPUs enhances its AI processing capabilities.
– The supercomputer is expected to achieve a peak compute power of 49 petaFLOPS, making it a significant tool for various research applications, including fluid dynamics and climate modeling.
– **National and Research Implications**:
– The Roihu supercomputer aims to complement the existing LUMI supercomputer, providing competitive resources for Finnish researchers.
– It addresses the long-term investment strategy of Finland in building a robust national computing environment to support data management and advanced computational tasks.
– **Atos’s Financial Landscape**: Despite Eviden’s achievements, Atos faces considerable financial challenges that could impact its long-term operations. The French government’s interest in nationalizing Atos emphasizes its strategic significance in computing and cybersecurity sectors.
– **Broader Context**: Eviden’s ongoing contracts and projects, such as Europe’s first exascale system Jupiter, demonstrate the increasing demand for powerful computing resources and underscore the importance of AI capabilities in scientific and commercial research.
In conclusion, the establishment of Roihu reflects both a response to the increasing needs of researchers for advanced computational resources and the competitive landscape for supercomputing in Europe, with notable implications for security, privacy, and compliance in data-intensive applications.