UMaine to Unveil State’s First Green Supercomputer
Contact: Aimee Dolloff, (207) 581-3777; George Markowsky, (207) 581-3940; Dana Gulick, (781) 487-4673
It’s no secret that over the years, the speed and capability of computers has increased tremendously. The days of a simple computer taking up an entire room and using so much power it would cause the lights to dim are history. The problem is that even the high-speed, compact computers of today use a lot of energy. In turn, as we become more reliant on technology, the amount of electricity used by computers increases.
On Wednesday, Oct. 15, the University of Maine Computer Science Department is teaming up with SiCortex Inc. of Maynard, Mass. to demonstrate the first green supercomputer in Maine.
SiCortex’s technology allows the company to deliver performance and productivity using minimal space and electricity, making its compact, energy-efficient design accessible right in the lab where researchers work instead of being in a separate data center.
“We at UMaine are focused on responsible computing: achieving more with fewer resources,” said George Markowsky, acting chairman of the UMaine Computer Science Department. “It’s easy to overlook the fact that for every watt of electricity used to run these large computers, up to another watt is required to cool the system. By choosing the most energy-efficient supercomputer available, we are providing state-of-the-art computing to our students and faculty, while minimizing our energy requirements.”
The SiCortex computer will be powered during next week’s demonstration by a team of bicyclists from the UMaine Cycling Club.
“The fact that a team of bicyclists could power the system underscores the energy efficiency of the UMaine Supercomputer,” James Bailey, marketing director of SiCortex, said.
Computer scientists consistently are trying to reduce the amount of energy it takes to operate the machinery we’ve come to rely on. The SiCortex SC072 Personal Development System is a 72-processor machine packaged in a quiet, low-powered deskside cabinet using less than 300 watts of power and is compatible with the world’s largest supercomputers, according to the company.
In most cases, a single processor uses about 100 watts of power, while a processor in a SiCortex machine uses