Karlsruhe Institute of Technology: Supercomputer inaugurated at KIT
“I am delighted to be able to inaugurate the new supercomputer today. With HoreKa, we not only strengthen Baden-Württemberg as a research location, but also make an important contribution to the German scientific ecosystem within the framework of the ‘National High Performance Computing’ association. High-performance computing has now become an indispensable part of cutting-edge research and we are proud to be able to actively shape this development with future-oriented investments, ”says Science Minister Theresia Bauer.
“Creating knowledge in order to meet the challenges for our society and our environment is an essential part of our mission at KIT,” said the President of KIT, Professor Holger Hanselka. “Extremely powerful supercomputers like HoreKa are an indispensable tool for our scientists when it comes to working out the necessary scientific results and developing solutions as quickly as possible. In addition, HoreKa offers our students the opportunity to gain research experience that they cannot gain anywhere else. ”
“The impressive computing power of HoreKa enables us to make many new discoveries in climate, energy and materials research as well as in the life sciences,” says the Vice President for Research at KIT, Professor Oliver Kraft. “The faster high-performance computers process data, the more detailed and reliable the simulations that can be made with them. HoreKa sets new standards not only in terms of speed, but also in terms of energy efficiency – this is also crucial in supercomputing and responsible research. “
HoreKa: one of the fastest in Europe, world class also in energy efficiency
Overall, HoreKa can achieve a peak performance of 17 PetaFLOPS – 17 quadrillion arithmetic operations per second – which roughly corresponds to the performance of around 150,000 laptops. The 15 million expensive supercomputer is one of the fastest in Europe. On the top 500 list of the fastest computers in the world, which appears twice a year, HoreKa is currently ranked 52nd. At the same time, it is also world-class in terms of energy efficiency. “Supercomputers need a lot of energy, but this is used much more efficiently than with conventional PCs and laptops,” says Dr. Jennifer Buchmüller, Head of High Performance Computing at the Steinbuch Center for Computing at KIT. When it comes to energy efficiency, HoreKa currently even ranks 13th in an international comparison.
As “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for society and the environment. The aim is to make significant contributions to global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility and information. To this end, around 9,600 employees work together on a broad disciplinary basis in the natural, engineering, economic, humanities and social sciences. The KIT prepares its 23,300 students for responsible tasks in society, economy and science through a research-oriented university course. The innovation activity at KIT bridges the gap between knowledge and application for social benefit, economic prosperity and the preservation of our natural foundations of life.