HPE's El Capitan hailed as world's fastest supercomputer

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has secured the top spot on the Top500 list for delivering the world's fastest supercomputer, El Capitan.

The El Capitan supercomputer, built for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in conjunction with AMD, has achieved 1.742 exaflops according to the November 2024 TOP500 ranking. This achievement crowns it as the most powerful supercomputer globally, joining two other HPE-built systems, Frontier at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Aurora at Argonne National Laboratory, which rank second and third, respectively.

HPE has consistently maintained its leadership in supercomputing, building systems that lead in both speed and energy efficiency. HPE-designed supercomputers collectively lead in performance share with over 5.75 exaflops among the TOP500 list of the world's fastest systems.

Seven out of the top ten supercomputers operate on HPE's leadership-class Cray Supercomputing EX systems, which are based on a pioneering 100% fanless direct liquid cooling system, marking a significant advance in energy-efficient technology.

Justin Hotard, Executive Vice President and General Manager, HPC, AI, and Labs, stated, "HPE is proud to have built supercomputers that power the modeling and simulation capabilities enabling scientists to make discoveries that benefit society."

"HPC and AI workloads running on these powerful supercomputers will accelerate the next innovative breakthroughs in agriculture, finance, drug discovery, healthcare, energy, weather and climate, cybersecurity and national defense."

The El Capitan system is designed to help the United States advance its capabilities in national security through high-fidelity modeling and simulation, particularly in nuclear science and AI-driven research into materials discovery and fusion energy.

With Frontier positioned as the second-fastest system at 1.353 exaflops, it was the first system to breach the exascale barrier in 2022.

Researchers using Frontier harness AI for various applications, including cancer research, drug discovery, and advancing nuclear fusion technologies. Collaborative efforts between ORNL and AMD facilitated its construction.

The third-ranked Aurora system, developed with Intel, applies AI technologies for data-intensive research areas such as aircraft design, cancer treatments, and sustainable energy. Significant strides are being made by researchers in the Aurora Early Science Programme, particularly in connectomics and protein sequence design for vaccines.

HPE also plays a pivotal role in European supercomputing, with systems powering Europe's three most capable AI-driven supercomputers. Eni's HPC6, located in Italy, debuted at fifth place and is acknowledged as the most powerful enterprise supercomputer worldwide, focusing on energy transition studies.

Swiss National Supercomputing Centre's Alps supercomputer ranked seventh, and the LUMI in Finland, part of the EuroHPC JU initiative, secured eighth place.

These platforms support extensive research into climate simulations and advanced scientific study.

HPE's innovation in supercomputing extends to its energy-efficient technologies. A suite of eight liquid cooling elements has enabled the company's systems to reduce energy consumption by up to 94% compared to conventional air cooling.

HPE's contributions to the Green500 list of energy-efficient supercomputers are substantial, with eight systems within the top 15. These systems include Adastra 2, Isambard-AI phase 1, and Helios, all demonstrating significant efficiencies in energy consumption and performance.

Through these supercomputing developments, HPE continues to advance scientific research and discovery across various sectors, facilitating progress in understanding our environment, health, and technology.