Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Cost-Conscious Supercomputing

The People

Dr. Srinidhi Varadarajan

It Takes a Team

Dr. Varadarajan, an assistant professor of computer science, Jason Lockhart, director of the College of Engineering’s High-Performance Computing and Technology Innovation group at Virginia Tech, and Kevin Shinpaugh, director of Cluster Computing for the university, headed up the massive international effort to develop the cluster. In less than three months, Varadarajan, Lockhart, Shinpaugh, and hundreds of associates, advisers, vendors, and volunteers took the huge system from plans to prototype to implementation at approximately one-tenth the cost of similar high-performance machines.

“I’d never used a Mac before in my life. Within three days I’d made up my mind that Mac OS X and the new Power Mac G5 were the tools I wanted to use.”

— Dr. Srinidhi Varadarajan, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Terascale Computing Center Director, Virginia Tech

Lockhart says that Virginia Tech would have been hard-pressed to even begin the supercomputer project without the eager participation of countless volunteers around the globe. From research scientists to consultants to students to carpenters, the project brought together an eclectic mix of skill sets. According to Lockhart, everyone shared the same zeal to break entirely new ground.

“It was amazing to see how folks rallied around this project,” he says. “We had support from the highest levels of our administration, to the guys who built out the facility, and everyone in between. Once we explained what the project was, and what it would do for the university, everyone’s spirits immediately lifted and they gave us higher than normal-quality work.

“When we finished the project, we gave out awards to everyone,” Lockhart continues. When the construction guys heard that we were ranked number three in the world, they all let out a huge roar. It was definitely a team effort, and it was fantastic to see it all come together.”

A Quantum Leap

According to Varadarajan, now director of Virginia Tech’s Terascale Computing Facility (where the supercomputer is housed), a fortunate confluence of events made the groundbreaking project possible. Hassan Aref, a strong advocate of constructing the supercomputer, had just assumed his post as dean of the College of Engineering. A new program — called Computational Sciences and Engineering (CSE) — made a talented pool of faculty and student computer experts available. But it was Varadarajan’s first PowerBook, and the announcement of the new Power Mac G5, that really got the project rolling.

“I’d never used a Mac before in my life,” admits Varadarajan. “I was a Linux/UNIX kind of guy, and used Windows to run the Office productivity suite. But I [bought] a 17-inch PowerBook laptop, and found that it was quite easy to do everything I’d been doing under the other platforms. I could compile the software application I’d been developing; it just worked under Mac OS X. Plus, I could use the productivity applications I needed, without having to reboot or launch an emulator. Within three days I’d made up my mind that Mac OS X and the new Power Mac G5 were the tools I wanted to use.”

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Advice to Other Universities

  • Do your homework, and engage your vendors as early as you can.
  • Solicit support from the uppermost levels of your administration as soon as possible — they’ll be critical to your success.
  • Recruit the most talented team of people that you can; keep them as informed and motivated as is humanly possible.
  • Communicate! Ensure that you keep your higher-ups informed as to your progress; keep peers and other team members apprised of milestones met and goals still outstanding (but don’t overload them with minutiae).