Atos this week unveiled the BullSequana XH3000, its new exascale-class supercomputer with hybrid computing capabilities, which leverages the Nvidia Grace CPU processors and accelerated computing architecture from Intel, AMD and SiPearl.
The XH3000 will be available in the fourth quarter this year. The announcement follows Nvidia’s statement last fall that it was working with Atos on a new X Series that would use the Grace processor, which Nvidia unveiled in April 2021. Atos’ announcement Thursday came hours before Nvidia was due to report its fourth quarter 2021 earnings.
The XH3000 features and open architecture which supports up to 38 blades and a mix of processors for optimal scalability and flexibility. Atos said the new supercomputer, which was designed and manufactured at its factory in Angers, France, will be able to “deliver unprecedented computing power – up to 6x increase in computing power than previous versions - at any scale, up to an exascale-class system by using Hybrid Computing advanced techniques, combining CPUs, GPUs with AI or even in quantum computing hardware in traditional scientific simulation workflows.”
The company also touted the BullSequana XH3000’s energy efficiency, saying it uses a patented Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) solution that provides over 50% more cooling power than previous generations. Atos also said it supported an eco-compliant product lifecycle, from raw material sourcing and manufacturing, to testing and transportation, and disposal and recycling.
Earl Joseph, CEO at Hyperion Research, said in a statement provided by Atos that these efforts acknowledge the growing importance of decarbonization in ongoing supercomputing developments.
Geoff Woollacott, senior strategy consultant and principal analyst at Technology Business Research, said in a research note following Atos’ announcement, “As the world awaits the scientific discoveries needed to bring quantum processors to commercial applicability, Atos’ BullSequana XH3000 allows for ecosystem participation within the compute platform itself and future-proofs any early buyer investments.”
He added, “The rapid rise in large data sets and evolving AI/machine learning (ML) algorithms have driven this global appetite for greater compute capacity — an appetite that many data scientists believe will only be sated once quantum computers reach commercial viability. Atos’ early lead in quantum simulators and alliances with various quantum systems vendors imply the company will be capable of pivoting its high-performance computing (HPC) offerings quickly to accommodate the addition of commercial-grade quantum processors when they arrive. Atos’ flexible hybrid supercomputing architecture will sell well in Europe for a variety of reasons and may enable Atos to gain share against notable HPC vendors in North America and Asia.”
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