NCSA dedicates new computing facility with news conference, tours

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Members of the news media can see the worlds fastest Linux cluster supercomputers, tour the 18,000 square-foot addition to the UIs Advanced Computation Building (ACB) and talk to experts who will create the most powerful computing infrastructure ever deployed for open scientific research Wednesday (Sept. 5).

A news conference beginning at 4 p.m. at ACB, 1011 W. Springfield Ave., Urbana, will mark the opening of the expanded building, home to the supercomputers of the UIs National Center for Supercomputing Applications. The new ACB ultimately will house Linux clusters capable of performing 8 trillion calculations per second the main engines of the Distributed Terascale Facility (DTF). The National Science Foundation announced the $53 million DTF on Aug. 9. NCSA and three partners will lead the DTF.

Wednesdays events will begin with remarks from NCSA Director Dan Reed and UI President James J. Stukel and the dedication of NCSAs first terascale cluster based on Intels Itanium architecture. Also on hand will be Chancellor Nancy Cantor, Provost Richard Herman, executives from Intel, IBM and Qwest, and several local legislators.

After the remarks, members of the news media can tour the facility. The two-story addition includes more than 18,000 square feet for computers and a lower level for the equipment needed to maintain the system. This level includes massive coolers, electrical transformers and fans.

Visitors also will be able to see five miles of wiring under the floors.

Members of the media who plan to attend the event should call Karen Green, NCSA public information officer, by noon Wednesday.

This article was imported from a previous version of the News Bureau website. Please email news@illinois.edu to report missing photos and/or photo credits.

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