Supercomputers are a cornerstone of current scientific research and development. With their incredible operational power and large storage capacity, they are capable of handling huge and complex calculations.
The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) is committed to building powerful supercomputers for use by Taiwan's research community to develop frontier technologies, as well as organizing educational activities. As part of this policy, the National Center for High-performance Computing (NCHC) of NARLabs, in cooperation with the National Library of Public Information (NLPI), is holding an exhibition titled "Supercomputer Unboxing" at NLPI from July 25 to October 29, allowing the public to take a peek at the inner workings of supercomputers and understand how the technology can impROVe people's lives.
Visitors to the exhibition will first be able to marvel at the structure of a supercomputer as a huge mechanical system consisting of many compute nodes, each having its own processor, memory, and storage space. These nodes are connected through a high-speed network to form a large and coordinated system. By assembling multiple nodes, a high-efficiency, high-performance computing platform is constructed.
The exhibition unboxes a representative collection of supercomputers, including Formosa 1, Taiwan's first independently produced cluster supercomputer. Formosa 1, now 20 years old, is composed of 150 dual-CPU servers and has a computing power of 997GFLOPS . Another model on display is the mainstay of high-speed computing in Taiwan today – the Taiwania supercomputer series. Taiwania 1, 2, and 3, respectively, feature speeds of 1.7PFLOPS, 9PFLOPS, and 2.7PFLOPS. Of these, the speed of Taiwania 2 is particularly high, as it is the main processor the nation has invested heavily in for the development of artificial intelligence ecosystems. The difference in performance shows just how much supercomputers have progressed. Just 20 years ago, a supercomputer was able to perform 900 billion mathematical operations per second, but that speed has now risen to more than 1015 times per second!
Supercomputers have the power to solve many complex problems, simulate real-world physical phenomena, and even predict the future by processing huge amounts of data. From climate simulation to weather forecasting, genome analysis to new drug development, material design to space simulation, almost everything is possible. Through large-scale numerical simulations and precise data analysis, a basis for scientific research is built.
Supercomputers have also made a huge difference in people's lives. For example, computer simulation can be used to design safer cars. Traffic light timing can also be computerized to achieve a more efficient and safer driving environment. Even special effects in movies and animation are made possible by supercomputers, which make cultural and creative entertainment even more exciting. AI applications also require supercomputers. Chatbots, voice assistants, and smart driving are all supported with high-performance computing power.
Guests of all ages are welcome to visit the special exhibition "Supercomputer Unboxing" at NLPI's Digital Art Center (2F) to learn how NCHC realizes a variety of supercomputer applications to help conduct cutting-edge scientific and technological research and impROVe people's lives.
