News
Publication:Chattanooga Times Free Press;Date:Aug 9, 2007;Section:Front Page;Page Number:1
UT to build powerful computer with grant
University to receive $65 million award for a supercomputer.
By Angie Herrington Staff Writer
EDITOR’S NOTE: For audio with this story, go to www.timesfreepress.com. The National Science Board on Wednesday paved the way for the University of Tennessee to receive a $65 million grant to build one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.
The board approved a resolution authorizing the National Science Foundation to fund the grant, which must go through administrative and financial processing before becoming final, according to a news release.
“This is a big deal for us,” said Jack Dongarra, a UT distinguished professor who helps rank the world’s fastest supercomputers. “We are now in the same class in terms of computing as San Diego, Illinois, Texas and Pittsburgh. They’ve been doing it for a while, and we have been recognized now.”
UT was one of four finalists poised to receive $208 million from the National Science Foundation to build the world’s fastest supercomputer, but that award will go to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
That computer will be able to perform mathematical calculations of a quadrillion per second, also known as a petaflop, to help scientists research some of the world’s most complex problems, officials said. Some of those could include the formation and evolution of galaxies in the early universe, according to the National Science Foundation.
The $65 million computer that UT will develop will be at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It will allow researchers to study issues such as global climate change and the complexities of the brain, officials said.
Oak Ridge’s “Jaguar” supercomputer was ranked in June as the second most powerful in the world.
UT President John Petersen said in a news release that assuming all the details are finalized, the grant affirms the “tremendous capability” of the partnership between UT and Oak Ridge.
U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp said that Tennessee will have two of the world’s most powerful computers.
Tennessee is “rapidly becoming the world’s center for high-performance computing,” he said in a statement.
Dr. Dongarra said the supercomputer that UT will build will be used by scientists within the National Science Foundation community for many different projects.
The supercomputer will be a magnet for attracting top students and faculty as well as additional research funding, he said. This will spur economic development throughout the state, he said.
“It’s much more than just a computer,” Dr. Dongarra said.
E-mail Angie Herrington at aherrington@timesfreepress.com