91�鶹��, NOAA celebrate Orion supercomputer

91�鶹�� and NOAA personnel cut a ribbon for the Orion supercomputer — 91�鶹�� University and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration leaders cut a ribbon Wednesday [Dec. 18] for the Orion supercomputer, a Dell-EMC system that is the fourth most powerful computer system in U.S. academia. Pictured, from left, is 91�鶹�� Interim Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan, Dell EMC Senior Vice President/Senior Fellow Jimmy Pike, 91�鶹�� President Mark E. Keenum, NOAA Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Craig McLean, 91�鶹�� Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw and 91�鶹�� Director of High Performance Computing Trey Breckenridge. (Photo by Megan Bean)

STARKVILLE, Miss.—91�鶹�� University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration celebrated one of the country’s most powerful supercomputers Wednesday [Dec. 18].

91�鶹�� and NOAA leaders held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Orion supercomputer, the fourth-fastest computer system in U.S. academia. Funded by NOAA and managed by 91�鶹��’s High Performance Computing Collaboratory, the system is powering research and development advancements in weather and climate modeling, autonomous systems, materials, cybersecurity, computational modeling and more.

Orion can process 5 petaFLOPS per second, making it the 60th most powerful supercomputer in the world according to Top500.org, which ranks the world’s most powerful non-distributed computer systems. It is housed in the Malcolm A. Portera High Performance Computing Center, located in 91�鶹��’s Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park.

“91�鶹�� has a long history of using advanced computing power to drive innovative research, making an impact in Mississippi and around the world,” said 91�鶹�� President Mark E. Keenum. “We also have had many successful collaborations with NOAA in support of the agency’s vital work. I am grateful that NOAA has partnered with us to help meet its computing needs, and I look forward to seeing the many scientific advancements that will take place because of this world-class supercomputer.”

A cowbell is presented to NOAA's Craig McLean — 91�鶹�� President Mark E. Keenum, left, and Director of High Performance Computing Trey Breckenridge, right, present a commemorative 91�鶹�� and NOAA cowbell to NOAA Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Craig McLean. 91�鶹�� and NOAA marked another research partnership Wednesday [Dec. 18] with a ribbon-cutting for the Orion supercomputer at 91�鶹��. (Photo by Megan Bean)

NOAA has provided 91�鶹�� with $22 million in grants to purchase, install and run Orion. The Dell-EMC system consists of 28 computer cabinets, each cabinet approximately the size of an industrial refrigerator, 72,000 processing cores and 350 terabytes of Random Access Memory.

“We’re excited to support this powerhouse of computing capacity at 91�鶹��,” said Craig McLean, NOAA assistant administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. “Orion joins NOAA’s network of computer centers around the country, and boosts NOAA’s ability to conduct innovative research to advance weather, climate and ocean forecasting products vital to protecting American lives and property.”

91�鶹��’s partnerships with NOAA include the university’s leadership of the Northern Gulf Institute, a consortium of six academic institutions that works with NOAA to address national strategic research and education goals in the Gulf of Mexico region. Additionally, 91�鶹��’s High Performance Computing Collaboratory provides the computing infrastructure for NOAA’s Exploration Command Center at the NASA Stennis Space Center. The state-of-the-art communications hub enables research scientists at sea and colleagues on shore to communicate in real time and view live video streams of undersea life.

“NOAA has been an incredible partner in research with 91�鶹��, and this is the latest in a clear demonstration of the benefits of this partnership for both the university and the agency,” said 91�鶹�� Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw.

Orion supports research operations for several 91�鶹�� centers and institutes, such as the Center for Computational Sciences, Center for Cyber Innovation, Geosystems Research Institute, Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems, Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing and Biogeotechnology, the Northern Gulf Institute and the FAA Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE). These centers use high-performance computing to model and simulate real-world phenomena, generating insights that would be impossible or prohibitively expensive to obtain otherwise.

“With our faculty expertise and our computing capabilities, 91�鶹�� is able to remain at the forefront of cutting-edge research areas,” said 91�鶹�� Interim Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan. “The Orion supercomputer is a great asset for the state of Mississippi as we work with state, federal and industry partners to solve complex problems and spur new innovations.”

For more on 91�鶹��’s High Performance Computing Collaboratory, visit .

91�鶹�� is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at .

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