Scottish companies Nallatech and Alpha Data have revealed "Maxwell", an
FGPA-based supercomputer that is 10 times more energy efficient and up to 300 times faster than traditional equivalents. By reprogramming the FPGA chips at runtime, the machine is able to perform some calculations much more efficiently than a traditional computer, in a way somewhat reminiscent of the ill-fated Omega from MicroDigital. The design also requires less space and cooling than traditional supercomputers. Although the technology behind the machine is sound, there are still some implementation issues to resolve, such as determining the best way of programming the FPGAs for a given problem.
It's reported that other companies are also looking at using FPGAs in large numbers to produce similar supercomputers.
Knews knicked from CNET
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Tiny Scotsman is energy-efficient supercomputer |
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nunfetishist (18:04 22/3/2007)
Loris (19:36 22/3/2007)
filecore (20:09 22/3/2007)
monkeyson2 (20:26 22/3/2007)
Phlamethrower (20:46 22/3/2007)
nunfetishist (22:36 22/3/2007)
monkeyson2 (23:06 22/3/2007)
nunfetishist (17:19 23/3/2007)
Loris (17:36 23/3/2007)
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Rob Kendrick |
Message #100528, posted by nunfetishist at 18:04, 22/3/2007 |
 Today's phish is trout a la creme.
Posts: 524
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I imagine the FPGAs are actually just tunable to doing something else, rather than you being able to change them at will constantly - the problem of converting a language into something you can feed into an FPGA to describe how it functions is enormously complex, and for everything but the most simple designs can take ages (sometimes literally) to just work out how to get the design to fit, let alone efficiently.
Also, with numbers quoted like this, I'm reminded of the PS3: yeah, sure, it'll be 300 times faster than anything else in the world - you just won't be able to find a purpose for the single case that it is  |
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Tony Haines |
Message #100547, posted by Loris at 19:36, 22/3/2007, in reply to message #100528 |
 Ha ha, me mine, mwahahahaha
Posts: 1025
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Also the "traditional computer" is presumably an x86 PC, so not all that efficient. |
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Jason Togneri |
Message #100549, posted by filecore at 20:09, 22/3/2007, in reply to message #100547 |
Posts: 3868
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News knicked from CNET I'm just wondering when "knick" became slang for "steal". Or possible slang for "nick". |
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Phil Mellor |
Message #100551, posted by monkeyson2 at 20:26, 22/3/2007, in reply to message #100549 |
 Please don't let them make me be a monkey butler
Posts: 12380
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News knicked from CNET I'm just wondering when "knick" became slang for "steal". Or possible slang for "nick".
Better? |
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Jeffrey Lee |
Message #100554, posted by Phlamethrower at 20:46, 22/3/2007, in reply to message #100551 |
 Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot stuff
Posts: 15100
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It's a silent k, obviously. |
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Rob Kendrick |
Message #100558, posted by nunfetishist at 22:36, 22/3/2007, in reply to message #100547 |
Today's phish is trout a la creme.
Posts: 524
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Also the "traditional computer" is presumably an x86 PC, so not all that efficient. Compared to what? Modern x86 is extremely efficient at turning out the FLOPs. |
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Phil Mellor |
Message #100562, posted by monkeyson2 at 23:06, 22/3/2007, in reply to message #100558 |
Please don't let them make me be a monkey butler
Posts: 12380
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Also the "traditional computer" is presumably an x86 PC, so not all that efficient. Compared to what? Modern x86 is extremely efficient at turning out the FLOPs.
and heating the room. |
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Rob Kendrick |
Message #100654, posted by nunfetishist at 17:19, 23/3/2007, in reply to message #100562 |
Today's phish is trout a la creme.
Posts: 524
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You think BlueGene/L doesn't require cooling? |
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Tony Haines |
Message #100657, posted by Loris at 17:36, 23/3/2007, in reply to message #100562 |
Ha ha, me mine, mwahahahaha
Posts: 1025
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Hey, if you wrote a virus^H^H^H^H^Hworm for this which hid in the FPGAs...
...
...
...
you could call it Maxwell's Demon. |
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