Grenoble: 225 PCs linked to make a super-calculator (Transfert)

Will the IMAG’s specialists of parallel calculation (computer and applied mathematics Institute) in Grenoble succeed in democratising “super-calculators” ? Transfert, in the article "Bricolez votre supercalculateur", reveals an amazing experience which has been conducted by the laboratory from Genoble: the creation of a super-calculator, linking 225 normal PCs, equipped with Pentium III at 733 MHz by a standard network. Although it doesn’t perform as the ASCI white, the IBM’s summit super-calculators, does, this rough super-calculator is still ranked 385th in the standings of the most powerful computers on the planet. Under a Linux program, it isn’t as expensive neither: around 1.5 million francs as against 790 million francs for the ASCI White. Grenoble, in the Linux tradition, is ready to give the software tools which has allowed specialists to achieve such an exploit to those who are interested in it.