Chronicle
of Higher Education: Fresh from a visit to the National
Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the
Chronicle's Jeffrey Young reports on a growing
appreciation among researchers that speed isn't everything when
it comes to scientific simulation. Having flexible software
architecture is also important, as is ensuring that data can
flow quickly among the supercomputer's processors and memory
stores. Blue Waters, NCSA's newest supercomputer, might not
make it into the top 10 fastest computers, but it incorporates
innovative interconnects that can store as well as transfer
data. Among Blue Waters' new users is UIUC's Klaus Schulten,
who plans to simulate the function of complex subcellular units
known as organelles.
