Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is turning one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world against COVID-19. AiMOS, short for Artificial Intelligence Multiprocessing Optimized System, can perform eight quadrillion calculations per second and is uniquely capable of exploring new applications in artificial intelligence. RPI is offering the supercomputer to the research community--including government entities, academic universities, national labs, and private businesses--to support new coronavirus research. To combat the devastating effects of this pandemic, we must be able to fully grasp the complexities and interconnectedness of biological systems and epidemiological data, as researchers work to develop therapeutic interventions and address gaps in our knowledge. AiMOS is the most powerful supercomputer at a private university, the third-most energy-efficient supercomputer in the world, and the 24th most-powerful in the world overall.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is turning one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world against COVID-19. AiMOS, short for Artificial Intelligence Multiprocessing Optimized System, can perform eight quadrillion calculations per second and is uniquely capable of exploring new applications in artificial intelligence. RPI is offering the supercomputer to the research community--including government entities, academic universities, national labs, and private businesses--to support of new coronavirus research. To combat the devastating effects of this pandemic, we must be able to fully grasp the complexities and interconnectedness of biological systems and epidemiological data, as researchers work to develop therapeutic interventions and address gaps in our knowledge. AiMOS is the most powerful supercomputer at a private university, the third-most energy-efficient supercomputer in the world, and the 24th most-powerful in the world overall.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is turning one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world against COVID-19. AiMOS, short for Artificial Intelligence Multiprocessing Optimized System, can perform eight quadrillion calculations per second and is uniquely capable of exploring new applications in artificial intelligence. RPI is offering the supercomputer to the research community--including government entities, academic universities, national labs, and private businesses--to support new coronavirus research. To combat the devastating effects of this pandemic, we must be able to fully grasp the complexities and interconnectedness of biological systems and epidemiological data, as researchers work to develop therapeutic interventions and address gaps in our knowledge. AiMOS is the most powerful supercomputer at a private university, the third-most energy-efficient supercomputer in the world, and the 24th most-powerful in the world overall.

Designed to push the frontiers of computing chip and systems performance optimized for AI workloads, an 8 petaflop IBM Power9-based supercomputer has been unveiled in upstate New York that will be used by IBM data and computer scientists, by academic researchers and by industrial and commercial end-users. Installed at the New York State-IBM Research AI Hardware Center in Albany, NY, the system -- called AiMOS (Artificial Intelligence Multiprocessing Optimized System) – was the most powerful to debut on last month's Top500 supercomputer ranking, it's listed as the world's 24th most powerful computer, the most powerful to be housed at a private university and – according to the Green500 listing – the third most energy efficient. It was built using the same IBM Power Systems technology as the Top500's nos. 1 and 2, systems, the US Dept. of Energy's IBM Summit and Sierra supercomputers, based on IBM Power9 CPUs and Nvidia GPUs. AiMOS is the result of a collaboration between IBM, RPI and two New York state programs, Empire State Development (ESD) and NY CREATES. Named for Rensselaer co-founder Amos Eaton, AiMOS will serve as a test bed for computation, modeling and simulation of hardware "designed to push the boundaries of AI performance," IBM said.

Part of a collaboration between IBM, Empire State Development (ESD), and NY CREATES, the eight petaflop IBM POWER9-equipped AI supercomputer is configured to help enable users to explore new AI applications and accelerate economic development from New York's smallest startups to its largest enterprises. Named AiMOS (short for Artificial Intelligence Multiprocessing Optimized System in honor of Rensselaer co-founder Amos Eaton, the machine will serve as a test bed for the New York State - IBM Research AI Hardware Center, which opened on the SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) campus in Albany earlier this year. The AI Hardware Center aims to advance the development of computing chips and systems that are designed and optimized for AI workloads to push the boundaries of AI performance. AiMOS will provide the modeling, simulation, and computation necessary to support the development of this hardware. "Computer artificial intelligence, or more appropriately, human augmented intelligence (AI), will help solve pressing problems, from healthcare to security to climate change. In order to realize AI's full potential, special purpose computing hardware is emerging as the next big opportunity," said Dr. John E. Kelly III, IBM Executive Vice President.