Latest US Supercomputer “Crossroads” Launched at Los Alamos Laboratory
The latest US supercomputer called “Crossroads” was recently completely expanded and launched at the Los Alamos Laboratory (LANL). The supercomputer is designed to model the US nuclear arsenal in the case of potential use.
Due to the inability to test the performance of nuclear weapons in real conditions, the United States utilizes supercomputers to simulate storage, maintenance, and the actual use of nuclear warheads. The Crossroads supercomputer replaces the outdated Trinity system and has become the latest system at Los Alamos.
Unlike other recent American supercomputers, Crossroads does not make use of graphic processors. The system creators believe that memory, rather than computing power, is the key factor for nuclear modeling tasks.
Crossroads has been optimized for Intel Xeon Max processors with a large HBM2E high-power memory that is integrated directly into the crystal. This optimization has resulted in a performance increase of 4-8 times compared to the previous Trinity system, which has been in operation since 2016.
Supporting Crossroads are three auxiliary systems dedicated to testing and regression analysis. The laboratory is currently in the process of diagnosing and configuring the hardware, with a full commissioning planned in the coming months.
The head of the laboratory’s computing unit states that transitioning to a new architecture typically requires a change in the program code to achieve improved performance. However, with Crossroads, significant speed enhancements are anticipated even without special optimization of programs.
The balanced architecture of Crossroads, specifically designed for the needs of nuclear modeling, allows for efficient utilization of hardware resources without the need to modify existing software code.
The launch of the Crossroads system holds strategic importance for US national security as it significantly enhances the country’s capabilities in nuclear modeling for years to come.
However, the deployment of such a system raises concerns among other nations about the intentions of the United States.
Despite efforts to maintain the combat readiness of different countries, ordinary people can only hope that humanity can build a peaceful future without the use of nuclear weapons.