"Hummel-2" replaces the "Hummel" high-performance computer system in use at the university for over nine years. The "High Performance Computing Cluster (Hummel-2)" comprises 178 computing nodes, each with 192 computing cores, 32 additional high-performance cores General Purpose Computation on Graphics Processing Unit (GPGPU) and two integrated hard disk storage systems with a storage capacity of 5.2 petabytes and another 500 tearabytes. The computing nodes and hard disc systems are linked via a fast network. The system is used in numerous research fields as well as for machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Digitalisation
EUR 4.4 million for high-performance computer at University of Hamburg
11 December 2024
"Hummel-2" providing more computing power for data processing
The University of Hamburg (UHH) has put its state-of-the-art "Hummel-2" super computer into operation, a press release said Tuesday (December 3, 2024). Such computers process complex simulations from astrophysics to chemistry and computer science. The German Research Foundation, Hamburg's Ministry of Science, Research, Equality and Regional Affairs and other third-party donors provided EUR 4.4 million in funding.
New potential for machine learning and AI
Hummel-2 to become more sustainable
However, the high computing power requires lots of cooling. "In future, we should be able to reuse around two-thirds of the computer's waste heat by removing the cooling water, which would correspond to a saving of around 10 to 20 per cent of CO2," says Prof Dr Sebastian Gerling, Chief Digital Officer at UHH. The measures are part of UHH's "twin transformation", in which sustainability and digitalisation are closely linked.
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