UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State researchers will have a chance to learn more about how they can use IBM supercomputers in their research at a free learning session on Jan. 31, according to representatives from IBM and the Institute for CyberScience.
The seminar will be held from 2:30 to 4 p.m. in 134 HUB-Robeson Center. A networking mixer will follow the seminar from 4 to 6 p.m. in the HUB's Noontime Lounge.
Representatives from IBM will be on hand to discuss the company’s supercomputers, Summit and Sierra, which are the No. 1 and No. 2 fastest high-performance computing systems, respectively, in the world, according to Top500. These supercomputers handle research at the government’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Researchers around the world are using Sierra and Summit, which are designed to handle artificial intelligence and deep learning tasks, to explore deep space, uncover the genetics of cancer, and assist with hundreds of other cutting-edge research initiatives. Summit, for example, has 200 petaflops of processing power, and can sift through thousands of variables and create models and simulations that can help researchers find answers to the world’s most complex problems. It is about a million times more powerful than the fastest laptop computer.
Jim Sexton, director of the Data Centric Systems group at IBM's T. J. Watson Research Center, will present at the session. Sexton’s role at IBM was considered crucial to the success of the company’s major computing initiatives, including CORAL and Blue Gene, which helped IBM earn the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Barack Obama in 2009.
The event also will be streamed live online via Zoom.
For more information or to register, visit the event page.