Technology News: iPod: Climate Researchers Dream Up iPod-Based Supercomputer

Scientists looking to build a supercomputer to model cloud conditions and help them better understand climates have looked upon the humble processors found in iPods and other small devices for a solution. A conventional supercomputer that could do what the researchers want could cost up to $1 billion; using millions of smaller processors could cost only about $75 million and save power.

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Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have suggested building a supercomputer based on low-power embedded microprocessors to improve global climate change predictions.

Using the embedded microprocessor technology used in mobile phones, iPods and other consumer electronic devices, the boffins propose a cost-effective machine for running complex computational models.

Gazing at Clouds

In a paper published in the May issue of the International Journal of High Performance Computing Applications, Michael Wehner and Lenny Oliker, of Berkeley Lab's Computational Research Division, and John Shalf, of the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, describe using the new class of supercomputers for modeling climate conditions.

A key problem that the supercomputer would address is the development of accurate cloud simulations.

Although cloud systems have been included in climate models in the past, they lack the details that could improve the accuracy of climate predictions.

Climates Are Complex

Wehner, Oliker and Shalf set out to establish a practical estimate for building a supercomputer capable of creating climate models at the one-kilometer scale.

A cloud system model at this scale would provide rich details that are not available from existing models.

To develop the model, scientists would need a supercomputer that is 1,000 times more powerful than is available today, the researchers say.

They estimate that building a conventional supercomputer capable of modeling clouds at a 1 km scale would cost about US$1 billion.

The system would also require 200 megawatts of electricity to operate, enough to power a small city of 100,000 residents.

Work Different

In a paper entitled "Towards Ultra-High Resolution models of Climate and Weather" the researchers present an alternative that would cost less to build and require less electricity to operate.

They conclude that a supercomputer using about 20 million embedded microprocessors would deliver the results and cost $75 million to construct.

This "climate computer" would consume less than four megawatts of power and achieve a peak performance of 200 petaflops.