Leonardo presented the LABS project: in the next 5 years, a network of supercomputer will be installed in research centers throughout Italy, the first is already in operation in Genoa.
1 billion operations per minute. This is the incredible computing power that Leonardo’s programmers are counting on to achieve thanks to the supercomputer installed in Genoa. The project was presented at the Innovation Awards 2019, the awards that Leonardo Company, the Italian technology giant, awards to young researchers to reward the most innovative projects. The installation of the supercomputer is part of an extensive programme aimed at improving Italy’s competitiveness in the new technology sector. “Progress is advancing at an embarrassing pace – underlined Roberto Cingolani, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer of Leonardo – “and requires great efforts to keep up. Our goal is to become a driver of innovation in 5-10 years. We are investing resources, technologies and ideas in Genoa and Liguria because, as large companies, we feel a strong responsibility to grow together with the territories in which we operate”.
Leonardo: the supercomputer installed in Genoa
The supercomputer installed in Genoa has been renamed “Leonardo” in honor of the Renaissance genius who, in 2019, marks the 500th anniversary of his death. The new machine, thanks to a computing power of 270 PFLOPS (1015 FLOPS) will be placed by 2023 in the top 5 “places” of the TOP500, the ranking of the 500 most powerful undistributed supercomputers on the planet. The computer, which will occupy a total area of 1 500 m², will consist of 3 modules, for a total of 5 000 computing nodes, and will have a RAM of 3 PB with 150PB of I/O and memory. With an estimated power consumption of 9 MW, it will feature a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.08. Thanks to its enormous computing and storage power, the computer will be able to process data produced by major international projects in the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics, pharmacology and new materials. The installation of the Genoa supercomputer is only the first step of a long-range project that will lead to the creation of the so-called Leonardo Labs, technologically advanced research laboratories that will be located throughout Italy.