There’s been a huge media buzz surrounding Virginia Tech’s Power Mac G5-based parallel-computing “supercluster.” Comprising 1,100 dual-processor G5 systems, Virginia Tech’s system is clocked as the third-fastest supercomputing system in the world, at a price that’s only a fraction of what other supercomputing systems in its class cost. Now Apple has posted a profile on its Web site of the new system, dubbed “System X.”
Apple’s profile offers an overview of the system, with some background on project leader Dr. Srinidhi Varadarajan’s intention in building the system. “… in June of 2003, news of Apple’s Power Mac G5 hit the airwaves. At last, Varadarajan realized, he’d have as much 64-bit processing as he needed to power his dream, without overtaxing his budget,” said Apple.
Apple’s information about the supercomputing system covers everything from the people involved to some of the logistical and architectural issues that had to be overcome to get the cluster to work. The profile also offers details about what the supercomputing system is being used for, how it’s been optimized for maximum performance, how the massive array of G5s are cooled, and what the future holds.