The "K Computer," built by the Japanese Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (in conjunction with
Fujitsu Corporation) was recently crowned the fastest supercomputer in
the world. It can perform 10 quadrillion calculations per
second, utilizes over 88,000 chips and 864 server racks, operates
at 93 percent efficiency and carries an estimated electrical cost
of $9.89 million annually when running at one petaflop (though it
took the title of world's fastest by topping out at over 10
petaflops).
And while numbers like that might make your head spin, we here
at Chatsworth Products, Inc. (CPI) have actually been more
intrigued by the unique, flashy, offbeat and sometimes
less-than-practical cabinet designs used to house these
computational juggernauts. Consider the following:
Seen
above: the world's fastest, the "K Computer," sporting some
non-traditional red paneling, close-quartered door access and
ventilation, and a slew of orange safety cones and yellow hazard
tape just for extra precaution - probably a warning to all those
who underestimate its blazing speed!
Seen above:
the "JUGENE" supercomputer out of Germany, and just for the record,
no, these rows of cabinets have not fallen victim to a dreaded lean
to the side - that's merely the off-kilter design employed at the
end of each row.
Seen above: the
sleek-looking supercomputer known as "Jaguar" out of the United
States - fairly traditional in terms of infrastructure, though that
sweeping mural across the cabinet face does turn heads. Notice the
banking, top portions of each cabinet as well - passive cooling,
perhaps?
Seen above: the "Bull" supercomputer out of France, with its
eye-catching and definitely non-traditional cabinet door design.
This is certainly not your typical or preferred method for properly
ventilating a cabinet face with perforation, though it does look...
different.
Speaking of cabinet perforation, have
you read CPI's latest white paper on whether or not a higher
percentage of perforation affects airflow when trying to cool your
equipment? Get the "hole" truth and download your free copytoday.
As for these supercomputers? It's
easy to appreciate the speed, performance, and yes, even the daring
designs of the world's fastest. But daring doesn't always do the
trick.
Often times, the best customization
in a data center, computer room or premise network environment is
the kind that enhances your space and maximizes your efficiency.
That could be as simple as modifying cable tray to route around
pre-existing obstacles or as intricate as using extended Vertical
Exhaust Ducts to reach overhead plenum for better hot air
isolation. In instances like these, CPI leads the way in working
with clients to tackle such challenges, find practical solutions
and improve your long-term investment - because when the fastest of
the fast have run themselves out of the race, you'll still be
cruising! Jeff Cihocki, eContent
Specialist