Harvard Researchers Will Use Supercomputers

Harvard researchers will soon be able to access supercomputers at the Department of Energy, enabling them to perform advanced simulations in astronomy, physics and computer science, thanks to a bill passed by Congress last month.

The Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act aims to reposition the United States as the leader in supercomputing, funneling over $165 million to the department over three years.

The act will also fuel academic research by opening up previously-barred computing facilities and setting up a new supercomputer center in Tennessee.

Researchers at Harvard could use the computers at the Department of Energy to simulate the evolution of galaxies and study the explosion and implosion of stars.

“We need these resources in the working out of what happens when a star explodes. These supernova explosions are very interesting. Some collapse and become black holes, while others explode like a thermonuclear bomb,” said Clowes Professor of Science Robert P. Kirshner ’70.

“I’ve used these resources to show how the expansion of the universe is speeding up rather than growing at a constant rate, which is a very big deal,” he added.

To date, Harvard scientists as well as their colleagues around the country have utilized three National Science Foundation supercomputer centers situated in San Diego, Calif. Pittsburgh, Penn. and Urbana, Ill. for most of their high-end computing needs.

“These supercomputer centers at the National Science [Foundation] have been providing state-of-the-art facilities for more than 20 years,” said Chair of the Astronomy Department Lars E. Hernquist.

But Hernquist said the resources have not always been enough. He resorted to building his own supercomputer in Cambridge with other Harvard researchers—a task some have undertaken in lieu of wrangling for access at the National Science Foundation’s centers.

“What that involves is taking a large number of personal computers and connecting them together to have them run together. The largest one has 320 computers,” he said. “The way we use them is by taking a large problem and breaking it down into smaller pieces and having these computers work on the pieces of the problem separately and then joining it back together.”

Kirshner agreed the resources available do not currently meet all needs.

“It’s one of those things where there’s a funny sort of tug of war between the speed that’s available to you on a local machine and what you need, which is far away and difficult to access,” Kirshner said.

Both he and Hernquist are optimistic about the new law, which the president is expected to sign before the end of the year.

“It seems that this will be food for academic research in the country. I think this is a very good thing,” said Hernquist.