hessian.AI’s supercomputer “fortytwo” achieves outstanding position in the international Top500 ranking of supercomputers
The AI supercomputer “fortytwo” from the Hessian Center for Artificial Intelligence (hessian.AI) has achieved an impressive position on the current Top500 list, which presents the world’s most powerful supercomputers. Ranking 99th, “fortytwo” underlines Hesse’s ongoing development and innovative strength in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). The 99th place can be considered very good in an international comparison.
With its 632 GPUs and a computing capacity of around 8 petaflops, “fortytwo” represents a significant technological achievement. Particularly noteworthy is its efficient energy consumption of around 353 kW, which puts it in 41st place on the Green500 list – a ranking that rates supercomputers according to their energy efficiency.
The rankings on the Top500 and Green500 lists reflect hessian.AI’s commitment and success in the field of sustainable and high-performance AI research and application. “fortytwo”, located in the Green IT Cube of the GSI/FAIR campus in the north of Darmstadt, impressively embodies the combination of high computing power with environmentally conscious energy efficiency. The Green IT Cube is one of the most advanced scientific data centers in the world, particularly due to its innovative approach to energy saving. Its unique design and efficient cooling system are particularly noteworthy: The energy required for cooling amounts to less than seven percent of the total energy required for computing processes.
President of TU Darmstadt, Prof. Dr. Tanja Brühl, congratulates hessian.AI:
“I congratulate hessian.AI on this award for the fortytwo supercomputer! I would like to thank the state of Hesse and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), whose generous support has made it possible to establish and expand this world-class computing cluster. With fortywo, we have an excellent building block for successful AI made in Hessen!”
Co-Speaker of the Hessian Center for Artificial Intelligence, Prof. Dr. Kristian Kersting, underlines the importance of the ranking:
“Deciphering and recreating intelligent behavior is at least as important as fighting cancer or understanding the Big Bang. The AI supercomputer fortytwo helps hessian.AI and our partners get one step closer to this dream. It provides the necessary computing power for the development and improvement of current AI models, as demonstrated by initial successes such as the German-language basic model LeoLM. Fortytwo could be one of the cornerstones of a pioneering ‘CERN for AI’ initiative that reflects the European values of freedom and democracy. Thanks to all involved for their support and trust.”
Dr. Wolfgang Stille, CTO of hessian.AI, adds: “Energy-efficient supercomputers help to reduce the energy consumption and environmental impact of high-performance computing. At a time when digitality and sustainability are becoming increasingly important in research, a high ranking in the Green500 list is a very positive signal for environmentally conscious technologies and research institutions.”
The ranking strengthens Hessen’s role as a leading region in AI research and development on a national and international level. The significance of “fortytwo” extends far beyond its pure computing power. It will play a key role in a variety of research and development projects, including the development of advanced machine learning algorithms, the analysis of large amounts of data and the support of complex simulations in various industrial sectors.
This success is part of an extensive funding initiative supported by three Hessian ministries and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The project is a central component in the development of hessian.AI, the AI Innovation Lab (HMinD) and the AI Service Centers (BMBF). The aim of this initiative is to promote excellent cutting-edge research in the field of AI and to make computing power widely accessible to users, which includes significant investments in AI compute infrastructures and services based on them.
About hessian.AI – Hessian Center for Artificial Intelligence
The Hessian Center for Artificial Intelligence (hessian.AI), based at TU Darmstadt, pursues the goal of conducting excellent basic research with practical relevance and also promoting the transfer to industry and society. The center, which is funded by three Hessian ministries and in which 13 Hessian universities are involved, pools the expertise of 22 AI scientists and is expanding this by a further 22 professorships. Over the next few years, the center will invest around €40 million in AI computing infrastructures and services for users based on these infrastructures.
About Top500.org
Since its first publication in 1993, the TOP500 list has provided a detailed picture of the world’s most advanced supercomputers. This prestigious list compiles the 500 most powerful computer systems currently in operation every six months. It serves as an authoritative indicator of technological advances and trends in high-performance computing technology. The ranking of the systems is based on their performance, measured by the best result achieved in the Linpack benchmark – a standard test for evaluating computing power.
