The Jülicher Container Village, housing the groundbreaking supercomputer Jupiter, is commencing its initial testing operations. Notably, this is the first supercomputer in Europe designed to exceed one exaFLOP/s.

As construction of the largest container-based data center in Europe concluded in late summer 2024, the core component--the Jupiter Booster Module--is now operational. Within 125 racks, high-performance processors are ready to tackle complex scientific and engineering tasks. However, the focus for now is on the test phase, with a technical evaluation set to follow around May, expected to last several weeks.

This supercomputer, delivered by the Franco-German consortium ParTec-Eviden, is a significant investment, funded partly by the European Supercomputing Initiative EuroHPC JU, with additional contributions from Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), facilitated through the Gauss Centre for Supercomputing (GCS). The demand for computational tasks is already high, prompting efforts to initiate regular operations as soon as possible, without waiting for the official inauguration.

Jupiter's Advanced Capabilities

The Jupiter Booster Module features approximately 24,000 Nvidia GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips. These chips are specifically optimized for demanding simulations and artificial intelligence (AI) model training. The processing units are distributed across eight IT rooms, each comprising two containers, with space allocated for up to 20 racks per container. Currently, one container is reserved to ensure operational flexibility.

Located adjacent to the traditional data center of the Forschungszentrum Jülich, this containerized facility is designed to be more cost-effective and adaptable than conventional brick-and-mortar data centers.

Aiming for Energy Efficiency

The 6,000 servers within the Booster Module are intended to secure a prominent position on the TOP500 list of the fastest supercomputers globally. Jupiter is categorized within the exclusive exascale class, signifying its capability to perform over one trillion floating-point operations per second.

Moreover, the data center aspires to be recognized among the most energy-efficient installations, as listed on the Green500 list. Although free coolers are currently installed on the container roofs to maintain the water-cooled modules' temperature, further enhancements are required to achieve the desired energy efficiency standards.

To optimize energy use, the cooling system employs warm water, which can be redirected through a heat exchanger to contribute to the heating network of the research center. This effectively repurposes energy rather than wasting it. The necessary piping for this system has already been installed.

Future Expansion and Innovations

In addition to the Jupiter system, a new data storage facility occupies four additional containers, complemented by a power supply system housed in 21 containers, including a backup power system to safeguard data during outages. Ten containers are reserved for user and service personnel. The integration of a cluster module is expected by 2027, expanding the computational offerings with a vector processor.

Plans for further advancements are already underway, with the government committing EUR55 million for a new AI expansion. This initiative includes the development of a module called Jarvis (Jupiter Advanced Research Vehicle for Inference Services), which will serve as a cloud platform tailored for inference calculations, incorporating experimental European technologies. Jarvis will enhance the existing systems by generating predictions from AI models and continually refining them.

Positioning Jülich as a Leader in AI

The establishment of the Jupiter AI Factory positions the Forschungszentrum Jülich as a pivotal player in the development of European AI infrastructure. This initiative aims to benefit academia, industry, and start-ups, addressing significant societal challenges.

Recognizing that high-level research in Europe encompasses more than just AI, the processors of the exascale computer are unlikely to face idle time. Plans to introduce additional computing power in new containers are already in motion, with ample space available in the container village.

Containerized data centers are gaining traction, as evidenced by recent innovations showcased at the Hannover Messe. For instance, HPE partnered with a Danish heating and cooling technology provider to unveil an AI server rack that circulates coolant directly into servers, channeling excess heat to a nearby hot tub as a heat sink. Such advancements pave the way for flexible data center installations in proximity to thermal networks.