Intel, in partnership with Argonne National Laboratory and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), announces that its Aurora supercomputer has achieved exascale computing capabilities, reaching speeds of 1.012 exaflops to claim the title of the fastest AI-focused system.

Ogi Brkic, Intel’s VP and GM of Data Centre AI Solutions, emphasizes the significance of Aurora surpassing the exascale milestone, highlighting its potential to drive future scientific breakthroughs. Aurora's design as an AI-centric supercomputer positions it as a catalyst for tackling complex scientific challenges, from understanding climate patterns to unraveling the mysteries of the universe.

Aurora's impact extends beyond speed, with its AI-focused architecture facilitating groundbreaking research endeavors, such as mapping the human brain's 80 billion neurons and accelerating drug discovery through machine learning. At its core, the Intel Data Center GPU Max Series, powered by the Intel Xe GPU architecture, provides the parallel processing capabilities essential for handling intricate AI computations.

The scale of Aurora is formidable, comprising 166 racks, 10,624 compute blades, 21,248 Intel Xeon CPU Max Series processors, and 63,744 Intel Data Center GPU Max Series units, solidifying its status as the largest GPU cluster globally. Intel complements Aurora's hardware prowess with a suite of software tools, including the Intel® oneAPI DPC++/C++ Compiler and performance libraries, enhancing developer flexibility and system scalability.

Intel's commitment to advancing AI and HPC extends to expanding the Tiber Developer Cloud, offering access to cutting-edge hardware and enhanced service capabilities for evaluating, innovating, and optimizing AI models and workloads at scale.

The deployment of new supercomputers integrated with Intel technologies, such as CMCC’s Cassandra and ENEA’s CRESCO 8, is poised to revolutionize scientific fields like climate change modeling and fusion energy research, underscoring Intel's dedication to driving discovery and innovation in HPC and AI.