Super Knowledge Day at Moscow State University
A supercomputer is a computing system that can handle large amounts of data and perform complex tasks with very high speed and accuracy. Such computing devices consist of a large number of processors working in parallel, combined into a single network. Supercomputers are used for scientific research, simulation, encryption, artificial intelligence, and other fields that require a lot of computing power.
September 1 at Moscow State University named after MV. Lomonosov introduced and launched the new unique supercomputer MGU-270, which will be used for scientific research in the field of artificial intelligence. This supercomputer has nearly a hundred latest generation graphics accelerators that provide high-speed and efficient computing. According to Viktor Sadovnichy, rector of Moscow State University, no university in the world has such equipment.
In an interview with socialbites.ca, deputy dean for scientific work of the VMK faculty of Moscow State University. Lomonosov, Professor Vasily Fomichev said that the supercomputer is located at the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics (VMC).
“Already ready, tested and practically operational. There is a large machine room with rows of shelves. It is also an engineering infrastructure, power supply systems and special cooling systems, because a supercomputer has a large power consumption,” said the scientist.
According to Fomichev, the supercomputer occupies not only the room where the calculator is located, but also a large additional infrastructure – rooms for dispatchers, rooms for high-power electrical supply systems, uninterruptible power supplies, batteries, etc.
supercomputer power
A few days before the launch of the MGU-270, many media quoted the MSU rector, calling this supercomputer one of the most productive in the world. “On September 1, we officially open a new supercomputer of Moscow University, created by us. That’s 400 <…> petaflops This supercomputer will perhaps be the second or third in the world in terms of power, ”says Rector Sadovnichy. TASS.
However, Fomichev pointed out that this statement is not fully understood.
“It was reported in the news that its power was 400 petaflops and that it would indeed be the world’s second or third supercomputer in terms of performance, but this is not so. These are slightly different petaflops, and this is important to highlight,” said the scientist.
One way to measure the performance of supercomputers is the LINPACK test, which evaluates how fast a supercomputer can solve a system of linear equations. The results of this test are published in the TOP-500 (supercomputer rating), which is compiled twice a year.
But as the scientist pointed out, the declared artificial intelligence capacity of 400 petaflops is design. It suggests this result would be much lower if testing in LINPACK.
What does the MGU-270 do?
The MGU-270 supercomputer was jointly developed by various subdivisions of Moscow State University under the guidance of experts from the VMK faculty. It is designed to solve complex scientific and socio-economic problems, as well as basic and applied research in the field of artificial intelligence.
Moscow State University already has supercomputers such as the Lomonosov and Lomonosov-2 designed to solve problems of mathematical modeling of physical phenomena. This is the flow of liquids, gases, large complex physical processes associated with turbulence, modeling the properties of substances in different states, and others.
“We need computers with exactly this kind of classical architecture to simulate real physical events. But in recent years more and more problems arise when working with big data, images, text data, information strings. Here we need supercomputers with different architectures, sharpened to work with artificial intelligence systems, neural networks, big data arrays. new supercomputer [«МГУ-270»] I just focused more on the tasks in this class. Therefore, it completes the supercomputer series of Moscow State University and, in principle, universities of our country. “We don’t have computers in this classroom yet for universities in the country,” Fomichev said.
According to him, “MGU-270” also allows you to cope with the tasks of modeling physical phenomena, but will be used mainly to solve problems related to the analysis and recognition of information.
For example, if you provide the MGU-270 supercomputer with a large array of data from MRI and CT images of organs, it can learn to diagnose, which will help doctors.
“We need to teach computers to solve diagnostic problems quickly, but these problems are not formalized enough. Diagnosing on the basis of the picture of the lungs, the doctor studied at a medical institute for many years. Can a computer solve such problems reliably and at the same time quickly? It is artificial intelligence systems that solve such problems based on huge data warehouses, the vast experience of the people who publish this data. Computers learn to extract patterns from such images. The problems of this class will be solved on a supercomputer opened at Moscow State University, ”Fomichev concluded.
As he reported TASS The supercomputer is currently solving image analysis and medical testing problems, said Igor Sokolov, Dean of the Faculty of Computer Science at Moscow State University. According to him, the first results of the MGU-270 study will be given in December.
One of the promising areas of supercomputer work is the development of a system to help elementary school teachers control the attention level of students in the classroom. According to Sokolov, scientists want to create systems that will analyze children’s behavior and tell the teacher who to watch out for.
He also believes the supercomputer will accelerate processes in creating new materials, exploring deep space, developing new methods in medicine, and other fields that require large computing resources.