Fujitsu Completes Post-K Supercomputer CPU Prototype, Begins Functionality Trials
June 21 2018 - 12:19AM
JCN Newswire (English)
Fujitsu Limited and RIKEN today announced that the joint
development of post-K, a supercomputer that the Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has set
forth as a successor to the K computer, is moving forward, with the
goal of beginning full operations around 2021. Fujitsu has now
completed the prototype CPU chip that will serve as the core of
post-K, commencing functionality field trials. With post-K, Fujitsu
and RIKEN aim to create the world's highest-performing
supercomputer, capable of tackling a broad range of applications to
solve problems not only in the area of science and technology, but
to play a role in a wide variety of issues in society. To realize
this goal, Fujitsu has adopted the widely used Arm instruction set
architecture (ISA) in the CPU, while implementing expanded
instructions newly formulated for supercomputers. In addition to
further enhancing the high memory bandwidth and double-precision
arithmetic performance implemented in the K computer, Fujitsu has
also added support for half-precision arithmetic, which remains
critical to fields like AI. Now, by verifying the initial operation
of prototype CPU chips meeting these design standards, Fujitsu and
RIKEN have smoothly cleared an important milestone in system
development. Moving forward, Fujitsu and RIKEN will continue
development with an eye toward completing post-K and commencing
full operations. The post-K prototype will be exhibited at ISC
2018, a significant international conference and exhibition for
high performance computing, which will be held in Germany from June
24-28.
Background
Fujitsu and RIKEN began joint development of the K computer in
2006, which was completed and commenced full operations in 2012.
The K computer continues to deliver world-leading performance on
major indicators of practical supercomputer performance, operating
as an indispensable R&D platform for cutting-edge research. As
a successor to the K computer, post-K is also expected to
simultaneously serve as a cutting-edge R&D platform for
resolving a variety of scientific and society-wide issues, as well
as an important platform supporting the attainment of "Society
5.0"(1), a new, human-centric society envisioned by the Japanese
government. Fujitsu began basic design work with RIKEN in October
2014, undertaking co-design work with application developers in a
variety of fields while pushing forward with prototyping and
detailed specifications.
Development Status of Post-K
Fujitsu and RIKEN have adopted the widely used Arm architecture,
envisioning utilization by a broader user base. In addition to
this, Fujitsu worked with Arm to contribute to the Scalable Vector
Extension (SVE) in the Armv8-A architecture, which significantly
extends the vector processing capabilities for HPC systems, and
adopted the results. Post-K is also expected to see expanded use in
the AI field, delivering support for half-precision arithmetic,
important in workloads such as deep learning, as well as the
double-precision arithmetic essential for use cases including
computer simulations. Now that Fujitsu has completed CPU chip
prototypes and verified their initial operation, it will commence
with functionality trials. Going forward, it will continue further
development with RIKEN.
Overview of the Post-K System
Fujitsu and RIKEN continue to improve on the technology first
introduced in the K computer, which has a proven record for
availability and real-world performance, developing post-K as a
supercomputer that offers top-class, real-world performance for a
wide variety of application software. The CPUs, which form the core
of the system, utilize the Arm8-A SVE architecture, building on the
microarchitecture hardware design experience Fujitsu has cultivated
through previous supercomputer development projects, including the
K computer. With the memory bandwidth delivered by high performance
stacked memory computational performance, the post-K system is
optimized to achieve high-level, real-world application
performance. Moreover, by utilizing cutting-edge semiconductor
technology and by incorporating an energy-saving design and power
control functionality, the CPUs deliver excellent energy savings
for its performance. Fujitsu will continue to provide compatibility
with the K computer in the system software for post-K, including in
the program development environment. By maintaining continuity in
language specifications and microarchitecture, the program assets
built up for the K computer can be reliably migrated by recompiling
them, which can preserve performance standards. In addition, system
software developed by RIKEN, including McKernel, XcalableMP, and
FDPS ("Framework for Developing Particle Simulator"), can also be
used. Fujitsu anticipates that these assets will prove useful in
further improving the real-world performance and convenience of the
system. The Arm architecture used in post-K has been accepted by a
wide range of developers and users. Joining this community will
make it possible for post-K to utilize a wide range of software
assets, including open source software. By simultaneously feeding
back the results and technology attained through the development of
post-K into the community, Fujitsu also hopes it will contribute to
the creation of an ecosystem around the Arm architecture. Fujitsu
and RIKEN are continuing development with the goal of generating
cutting-edge research results through the use of post-K. This
includes resolving scientific and society-wide issues in areas such
as health and longevity, disaster prevention and mitigation,
energy, and manufacturing, to effectively contribute to enhanced
industrial competitiveness.
System Characteristics
Post-K will be a system featuring world-leading capabilities in (1)
energy consumption performance, (2) computational capability, (3)
ease of use and convenience for users, and (4) generating
groundbreaking results, surpassing other systems around the world
in overall strength. Moreover, Fujitsu and RIKEN are
collaboratively developing both the system and its applications,
aiming for the world's highest level of versatility, up to one
hundred times the application execution performance of the K
computer, and a power consumption of 30-40 MW (compared with 12.7
MW for the K computer).
Research Topics Using Post-K
Post-K is expected to generate world-leading results, particularly
in scientific and society-wide issues that should be the focus of
efforts (priority issues and emerging issues), as shown below. For
this reason, Fujitsu and RIKEN are undertaking co-design work with
application developers for these issues in post-K system
development, with the goal of delivering outstanding performance in
a wide range of fields of use.
Priority Issues
1. The creation of a revolutionary drug discovery platform through
functional control of biomolecular systems
2. Integrated computational life sciences supporting individualized
and preventative medicine
3. The creation of integrative prediction systems for compound
disasters caused by earthquakes and tsunamis
4. Improved predictions of the climate and global environment using
observational big data
5. The development of new foundational technologies for the
efficient creation, conversion, storage and use of energy
6. The development of practical implementations for revolutionary
green energy systems
7. The creation of high performance materials and devices offering
new functionality supporting next-generation manufacturing
8. The development of revolutionary design and manufacturing
processes leading near future manufacturing
9. The elucidation of evolution and the fundamental laws of the
universe
Emerging Issues
1. Taking on the challenges of the outermost frontiers of
foundational science
2. The building of models of the interactions of multiple
socioeconomic phenomena, and research into their applications
3. Clarifying the processes surrounding the formation of
extra-solar planets (new earths), and of environmental change on
planets in this solar system
4. The elucidation of the mechanisms of the neural circuitry that
produces thought, and its application to artificial
intelligence
Comments from Fujitsu, RIKEN, and Arm
Comment from SEVP Akira Kabemoto, Head of the Service Platform
Business at Fujitsu Limited
We are extremely pleased to announce genuine progress in the
development of the post-K computer. Fujitsu has been developing and
delivering the world's top level supercomputers for over 40 years.
The use of supercomputers has expanded beyond contributing to the
development of science and technology through simulation to
encompass areas like AI, emphasizing their importance as part of
the infrastructure of society. With post-K, I believe we've
combined all the various, cutting-edge technologies we have
developed until now to create the world's leading supercomputer. We
hope this will ultimately contribute to the achievement of an
abundant, human-centric future filled with dreams.
Comment from Satoshi Matsuoka, Director, RIKEN Center for
Computational Science (R-CCS)
Because an architecture suited for high performance computing was
co-designed by Fujitsu and R-CCS, the post-K processors are
expected to (1) deliver performance far surpassing that of existing
general-purpose server processers for many supercomputer
applications, and (2) considerably raising the system's usability
by using a broad software ecosystem through the adoption of the Arm
instruction set, while at the same time (3) delivering top-class
performance not just in simulations, but also in a wide range of
fields related to Society 5.0, including artificial intelligence
and machine learning, security and blockchain technology, big data,
and IoT. In this way, I am certain that post-K will not only
contribute world-leading performance to meet the concerns of the
people of Japan, it will also be a sign of the revitalization of
Japan's semiconductor technology. Having now verified the operation
of the prototype CPU as planned, we have cleared a major step in
the path to full operation of post-K around 2021, as well as toward
subsequent developments. Going forward, R-CCS intends to even more
vigorously pursue research and development, in collaboration with
other related parties, in order to begin operations using post-K,
the world's top supercomputer, as soon as possible. Please look
forward to it.
Comment from Drew Henry, senior vice president and general manager,
Infrastructure Line of Business, Arm
Arm has been deeply engaged with both Fujitsu and RIKEN, working to
build an HPC ecosystem for the Armv8-A SVE architecture, opening a
new chapter for Arm technology to scale the levels of vector
processing. Our collaboration with Fujitsu and RIKEN represents our
ongoing commitment to maximizing the success of the post-K design
and marks a significant step toward deploying Arm-based
technologies for HPC and potentially for a broader set of emerging
applications.
(1) Society 5.0 A human-centric society that delivers both economic
development and resolutions to societal issues through systems that
fuse cyberspace (virtual spaces) and physical space (the real
world) at a high level.
About Fujitsu Ltd
Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication
technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology
products, solutions, and services. Approximately 155,000 Fujitsu
people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our
experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with
our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated
revenues of 4.5 trillion yen (US$40 billion) for the fiscal year
ended March 31, 2017. For more information, please see
http://www.fujitsu.com.
* Please see this press release, with images, at:
http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/
Source: Fujitsu Ltd
Contact:
RIKEN
Center for Computational Science
Computational Science Promotion Office
E-mail: r-ccs-koho@ml.riken.jp
Fujitsu Limited
Public and Investor Relations
Tel: +81-3-3215-5259
URL: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/
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