ASTRON and IBM to explore origins of the universe
April 2, 2012
Artist's impression of the SKA dishes (credit: SPDO/TDP/DRAO/Swinburne Astronomy Productions)
IBM and ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, have announced an initial 32.9 million EURO, five-year collaboration to research extremely fast, but low-power exascale computer systems for the international Square Kilometre Array (SKA).
The SKA is an international consortium to build the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope. Scientists estimate that the processing power required to operate the telescope will be equal to several millions of today’s fastest computers.
The target is to read, analyze and store one exabyte of raw data per day — two times the entire daily traffic on the World Wide Web.
ASTRON is one of the leading scientific partners in the international consortium that is developing the SKA. Upon completion in 2024, the telescope will be used to explore evolving galaxies, dark matter, and the Big Bang.
The next generation of large scientific instruments, of which the SKA is a key example, requires a high-performance computing architecture and data transfer links with a capacity that far exceeds current state-of-the-art technology.
To solve this unprecedented challenge, ASTRON and IBM scientists in the Netherlands and Switzerland have launched an initial five-year collaboration called DOME, named for the protective cover on telescopes and the famous Swiss mountain.
DOME will investigate emerging technologies for large-scale and efficient exascale computing, data transport and storage processes, and streaming analytics that will be required to read, store and analyze all the raw data that will be collected daily. Scientists from both organizations will collaborate at the newly established ASTRON & IBM Center for Exascale Technology in Drenthe, the Netherlands.
Scientists at ASTRON and IBM will investigate advanced accelerators and 3D stacked chips for more energy-efficient computing. They will also research novel optical interconnect technologies and nanophotonics to optimize large data transfers, as well as high-performance storage systems based on next-generation tape systems and novel phase-change memory technologies.
Introducing the SKA, the world’s largest radio telescope
A global community of astronomers from more than 20 countries is setting out to build the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the world’s largest radio telescope.
This extremely powerful survey telescope will have millions of antennas to collect radio signals, forming a collection area equivalent to one square kilometer but spanning a huge surface area — more than 3000 km wide, or approximately the width of the continental U.S. The SKA will be 50 times more sensitive than any former radio device and more than 10,000 times faster than today’s instruments.
The SKA is expected to produce a few exabytes of data per day for a single beam per one square kilometer. After processing this data, the expectation is that between 300 and 1500 petabytes of data per year need to be stored. In comparison, the approximately 15 petabytes produced by the large hadron collider at CERN per year of operation is approximately 10 to 100 times less than the envisioned capacity of SKA.
Plans for the location of the SKA are still to be finalized, with a decision expected in 2012. Australia and South Africa are the two remaining options, where it would be possible to install the millions of antennas required for receiving the very weak signals from the universe.
Comments (9)
by infomagician
Nobody could see how anybody would make money off the internet when it’s plans were being discussed either. And regardless projects like this aren’t all about money either. Curiousity being vain is the most rediculous commment ever, considering we would be leaving in a cave without it.
by gaoptimize
There is a BIG difference between purposeful curiousity and vain curiousity. The early Internet (ARPANET) was created to solve a problem. Of course it turned out that many domains had similiar problems and that solution could be adapted. If you can’t distinguish the difference between purposeful and vain curiosity, go ask some angel investors, venture capitalists, or your company’s IR&D board. Otherwise, acknowledge that you are satisfying your curiosity out of the public trough, to amuse yourself and colleagues.
by gaoptimize
And that, as I pointed out in my comment on a NASA article the other day, is a demonstration of the PhDs being in charge of the national science budgets, instead of the engineering. Absolutely no possible Return on Investment (ROI). Science for its own sake and the satisfaction of vain curriositiy, while pimping ones credentials with articles for ones peers.
All this, while EU governments and the entire EU economy teeter on the brink of bankruptcy. Absolutely pathetic.
by Guy Clinch
gaoptimize, yeah, you’re right. What possible economic benefit could come from extremely fast, low-power exascale computing systems? No wonder those morons at IBM only made $106 billion last year.
by gaoptimize
A standard “spin-off” argument that has been debunked over and over again, with these Government mega-science projects, while being inefficient at funding technological advance, are extremely efficient as conduits for crony corporatism cash flows from the public balance sheets to industry balance sheets.
$33M over 5 years? Given my experience with these things, expect this to double. The $33M being a buy-in number to get the agreement and project in place. Cost growth reveals itself as “in for a dime, in for a $” allows for it.
by Guy Clinch
gaoptimize: I guess I’ll just have to take you at your word on the debunking claim since I can’t seem to substantiate it myself. In any case, I don’t see how that’s relevant to this discussion. Calling exascale computers a “spin-off” of the SKA is like calling the Saturn V rocket a “spin-off” of the Apollo program. The SKA does not happen without these computers. It’s that simple. It’s not some kind of ancillary benefit. So, in effect, you’re arguing that there is “absolutely no possible Return on Investment” from the development of the next generation of computing technology and that it is simply “science for its own sake.” Which is ludicrous on its face.
by Lord Penguin
The Jeopardy! computer, Watson, that IBM built not too long ago seemed to just be just for the sake of science, yet they are now making billions off of it, and now can make better computers and programs because they can learn from what went right and wrong with creating that computer.
by Gabe Potter
@ DeBee Corley: Your government, as well as the governments of many other countries. Essentially, the citizens of almost every nation provide the funding for these “boondoggles”. Clearly you think that it’s money poorly spent, but do you realize that the ~$10 billion spent on the LHC and ~$3 billion on this radio telescope utterly pale in comparison to the trillions spent on the wars and bank bailouts of the past decade? And the LHC and SKA are already contributing important new scientific data that will benefit all humanity for ages to come. Priorities.
by DeBee Corley
Who provides funding for these boondoggles?
Square Kilometer Area.
Large Hadron Collider.
Nuclear Fusion.
I expect “star drive” vehicles to reach other galaxies any day now.