Introduction[edit]

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was awarded a 30-million-dollar grant from the State University of New York (SUNY) Research Foundation to purchase a new supercomputer center in 2019. Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson said, “As the home of one of the top high-performance computing systems in the U.S. and in the world, Rensselaer is excited to accelerate our ongoing research in AI, deep learning, and in fields across a broad intellectual front”. Given the name AiMOS (Artificial Intelligence Multiprocessing Optimized System) after Rensselaer co-founder Amos Eaton, the supercomputer is one of the top high performance computer systems in the United States and in the world.

AiMOS originally debuted as the 24th most powerful supercomputer in the world and the 3rd most energy efficient according to the November 2019 Top500 ranking of supercomputers [5]. AiMOS is currently the 67th most powerful supercomputer in the world and the 40th most energy efficient according to the November 2022 Top500 ranking of supercomputers.

Supercomputer[edit]

Supercomputers consist of thousands of connected processors, and the speed of AiMOS has contributed to the exponential growth of the field. AiMOS can perform close to 200 petaflops of calculations per second. For example, what an ordinary computer can do in thirty years, a supercomputer can do in an hour. On average, the supercomputer takes up to 185 miles of cable and consumes enough power to run 8,000 homes. However, the actual effect of AiMOS can help society as a whole and how that translates into better safety systems and better power transmission.

Background[edit]

Supercomputers support research in artificial intelligence and a wide range of subject areas. A partnership with International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) and the Artificial Intelligence Research Collaboration (AI RFC) enables Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to develop new research departments, new academic programs and scientific advancements in the computing ecosystem. SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson stated, “New York State has developed a growing ecosystem within the Capital District Region, drawing in opportunities with leading businesses like IBM that foster pioneering research. We are excited about this strategic collaboration, which enables New York State’s top researchers, including those at SUNY campuses, to have access to the AiMOS supercomputer. I look forward to seeing the outcomes from this partnership in solving some of the greatest issues impacting our society today". The AiMOS supercomputer is the 24th fastest supercomputer in the world and the fastest deployed by any private university in the world. In addition to this, AiMOS is the third greenest or most energy-efficient supercomputer in the world. AiMOS enables new kinds of workflows that can make the understanding of scientific phenomena at levels never before.