New MEGWARE supercomputer put into operation at the Center for Computational Materials Science (BCCMS) of the University of Bremen.

The Bremen Center for Computational Materials Science (BCCMS), an interdisciplinary research center of the natural and engineering science faculties, together with the Institute for Theoretical Physics (ITP) of the University of Bremen are working on a number of projects in computational materials science. These range from basic research to collaborative projects with industry partners in order to assist them with the application of the latest scientific knowledge so that they can optimize their materials and processes.

A new high-performance computer will now make it possible to work on more complex problems in the area of structural design of complex materials. This involves using multiscale methods that range from the quantum mechanical description of the atomic scale to the finite element description of the microscale, with the objective of developing new functional components and materials. One of the main focuses here is the field of novel two-dimensional materials and complex surfaces. These research activities are conducted under the purview of a Graduate School (RTG QM3) recently founded through the sponsorship of the DFG.

A new supercomputer system from MEGWARE is used to assist with and to achieve the scientific objectives that demand computing tasks involved with the exploration of new materials. Thanks to approximately EUR 700,000 (including VAT) of funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG), scientists now have more than 100 nodes for running the necessary applications. Each node is equipped with two Intel® Xeon® E5-2660 v3 generation 2.60 GHz processors, and each server is equipped with 128 GB of memory on 8 x DIMM DDR4-2133 16 GB ECC REG modules. The high-performance Intel® Omni-Path network delivers a blocking factor of 1:2 for optimum throughput, thus preventing potential data bottlenecks.

The system was installed with the latest version of MEGWARE’s ClustWareAppliance (CWA) management software, which was recently introduced at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC) in Frankfurt. The software features a modern web interface showing all current system statistics and capacities, and the administrators have direct control over all nodes. ClustWareAppliance (CWA) was developed by MEGWARE and offers an especially good value for money, not to mention features an intuitive user interface.

André Singer, project manager at MEGWARE, expressed his excitement: “The next chapter of the shared success between MEGWARE and the state of Bremen is unfolding with the new supercomputer, because the new system will not only significantly increase the computing capacity at BCCMS and ITP. It will also bolster the University of Bremen’s reputation as a center of research in Germany more than ever.”