U2 rocks supercomputing

Computers don't usually "rock," but UB's Center for Computational Research has just added a computer that does, at least in name. The latest member of CCR's supercomputer family is named after the recently Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band U2.

Like the one-for-all band, U2 is a product of several parts and is classified as a "supercomputer" since it is a computer cluster, or many interconnected servers that operate as a single system. According to CCR officials, U2 represents a class of leading-edge computing systems.

U2 was delivered to CCR on April 3 and was up and running after just 3 weeks. U2 is a $2.3 million Dell system that has 834 dual-processor servers (1,668 Intel processors), 30 Terabytes of storage and is expected to run computer programs at a rate of 7 teraflops, which means it should be able to perform 7 trillion calculations every second. In other words, this machine is approximately 1,000 times faster than what most people typically use as a desktop or laptop.

The sheer size and speed of the computer, as well as the computing center, is unique to an institution like UB, according to Dr. Russ Miller.

"The Center for Computational Research is the third largest academic supercomputing center in the world," said Miller, director of CCR. "The supercomputer has brought enormous prestige at the university because we have been able to recruit world class faculty."

Combined with the rest of the CCR family of high-end computer systems, U2 is already doing some intense work. The UB supercomputers are put to use in many areas. Faculty members use them to perform intensive calculations for earthquake engineering, modeling volcanoes, determining the locations of atoms in molecules and many more areas of simulation and modeling.

These applications are music to the ears of students like sophomore Edwin Tham.

"I think that the computer will benefit everybody if the computer can do all the things that researchers claim, (like) Earthquake monitoring." said Tham, an undecided major.

But the use of these machines does not end with applications and advances in science and engineering - they are also used to create state-of-the-art entertainment.

Video Mods is a show on MTV2 where a video game environment from a game like Bloodrayne is merged with a popular song from artists like The Beastie Boys, resulting in a very elaborate animated video. CCR collaborates with Buffalo's IBC Digital to make this show by using the U2 supercomputer. Rendering a detailed high-quality television video can take several months on a desktop system, while these videos were done in less than a day using the power of U2.

This collaboration with MTV2 is also exciting news to some students at UB.

"It's good that the university will be known for something more than parties or sports. This could really put us on the map," said Christopher Burns, a junior undecided major.

Miller said the CCR staff works extremely hard to make sure that they are used not only to advance discovery, but also to help prepare students to compete in the 21st century.

"I believe strongly in academia. I believe in educating students, I believe in research, I believe that universities can provide opportunities for outreach to the community and economic development," Miller said. "I believe that forward-thinking universities are leading the way towards discovery and will provide students with the ability to thrive in our knowledge-based economy."

"It may be hard for students to find an opportunity to use the computer," said Laura Ingenito, a junior speech and hearing science major, "but it's great to hear that we are improving our technology."