U. aids in invention of new supercomputer

Nearly 50 years after University scientists created ENIAC, the world's first computer, researchers on campus are again on the cutting edge of information technology. Physics Professor Robert Hollebeek is in the process of linking the University's computer network with those in use at the Universities of Maryland and Illinois at Chicago to create a "virtual supercomputer," as part of the National Scalable Cluster Project. Hollebeek, Maryland Physics Assistant Professor Andrew Baden and Illinois Professor of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Robert Grossman are co-directors of the project. Advances in telecommunications technology have allowed the project's unprecedented kind of long-distance electronic link, Hollebeek said. Funded in part by the federal government, the new machine will be able to simultaneously draw on the power of computers at all three institutions when it is fully operational next year. While ENIAC, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, filled a whole room, the core of the new machine is only about eight feet tall and six feet long, Hollebeek said. But because of its increased power and speed, the new computer will be able to solve mathematical and scientific problems more quickly than conventional supercomputers, according to Baden. "There's no substitute for creativity and brains, but the computer is a very useful tool," he said. "You can learn a lot in a much shorter time." Hollebeek agreed, explaining that once the new system is’ in place at the University, computers tapping into the network from Chicago will be closer to his desktop machine than computers on other floors of his department's building. Researchers at Maryland will use the new machine to simulate black hole collisions, make calculations related to superconductivity, and perform experiments in nuclear and condensed matter physics, Baden said. Grossman said the new machine will also be used in endeavors other than academic research -- including high-performance data management. Its capabilities will be more extensive than those currently available on the Internet, as the "virtual supercomputer" will have close to 1,000 gigabytes of file space -- the equivalent of approximately 10,000 average personal computers. The space will be used to store medical images and digital libraries for later retrieval. "Eventually, we envision that the next generation of the Internet would be something that allows computers to share what they do best -- compute, share and fetch data," Hollebeek said. Perhaps the most unique characteristic of the new machine is its utilization of existing hardware and "clever networking and clever software" that increases cost-effectiveness, Grossman said. "We're putting a lot of work into the network, [which] allows us to use less powerful hardware," he said. Baden said the new system "opens up the potential for areas where the computer can be useful" because of its seemingly limitless resources. For Hollebeek, the "virtual supercomputer" constitutes the successor to the Internet. "All of the ingredients are there, but there's a lot of work to do to get all of this put together," he said.

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