Supercomputer Uses Flash to Solve “Data-Intensive” Problems 10 Times Faster.

SDSC was awarded a five-year, $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to build and operate a powerful supercomputer dedicated to solving critical science and societal problems now overwhelmed by the avalanche of data generated by the digital devices of our era. Among other features, this unique and innovative supercomputer called Gordon employed a vast amount of flash memory to help speed solutions now hamstrung by slower spinning disk technology. Also, new “supernodes” exploited virtual shared-memory software to create large shared-memory systems designed to reduce solution times and yield results for applications that now tax even the most advanced supercomputers.