Supercomputing Partnership Initiated by the United States

The United States has announced a $1 billion collaboration with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) to develop two supercomputers. These systems are intended to address significant scientific challenges in areas such as nuclear power, cancer treatment, and national security.

Project Overview

The initiative aims to ensure the availability of advanced supercomputing capabilities for complex experiments. The systems are expected to enhance scientific discovery processes in key focus areas for the United States.

Technical and Operational Details

• Energy Secretary Chris Wright highlighted the systems’ potential to advance nuclear power, fusion energy, defense, and drug development.
• The supercomputers will aid in managing the U.S. nuclear arsenal and simulate molecular-level cancer treatments.
• The first supercomputer, named Lux, will utilize AMD’s MI355X AI chips along with CPUs and networking chips from AMD. It is co-developed by AMD, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

The Lux system is expected to be operational within six months. ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer noted that Lux would provide approximately three times the current AI capacity of existing supercomputers.

Future Developments

• The second supercomputer, Discovery, will use AMD’s MI430 series AI chips designed for high-performance computing. This system is scheduled for delivery in 2028 and operational readiness in 2029.
• The MI430 chips combine features of traditional supercomputing and AI application capabilities.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will host the systems, with the companies supplying the machines and capital investment. Both parties will share the computing resources.

Broader Implications

This project marks the beginning of several anticipated collaborations between the DOE and private industry, leveraging advanced computing capabilities for national projects.

As of 12:15 pm in New York (16:15 GMT), AMD’s stock showed a 0.7 percent increase.