Retirement of Theta Supercomputer by Argonne National Lab

Argonne National Laboratory, a United States Department of Energy research center, has officially retired its Theta supercomputer. The machine, which has been operational since 2017, was named among the 25 fastest in the world at the time of its launch.

Theta Supercomputer’s Evolution

Theta, provided by Intel and Cray, has been a crucial research tool for the Argonne National Laboratory’s groundbreaking scientific investigations. It has been used significantly in areas such as climate modeling, astrophysics, and materials science. Theta’s computational power peaked at 11.69 petaflops.

Transition to Aurora

The retirement of Theta marks a transition for the lab, which is preparing for the launch of its next-generation supercomputer, Aurora. Aurora is anticipated to be among the first exascale computers in the US, capable of performing a quintillion calculations per second.

Anticipating Exascale Performance

Aurora is expected to significantly enhance the lab’s research capabilities, enabling greater precision in scientific modeling and simulation. The Department of Energy has shared its optimism about the potential of Aurora to drive forward important research in fields like climate science, cancer research, and cosmology.

The retirement of Theta supercomputer is a significant milestone for Argonne National Laboratory. The organization is now looking forward to the implementation and utilization of the next-generation Aurora supercomputer, which is expected to provide a substantial boost to the lab’s research capabilities.