By Josh Perry, Editor
[email protected]

The Ohio Supercomputer Center (Columbus, Ohio) recently announced that it was deploying the 1.3 petaflop Dell EMC-built Pitzer Cluster, its most efficient supercomputer system, which includes PowerEdge servers with direct liquid cooling designed by CoolIT Systems. 

OSC’s new Dell EMC-built Pitzer Cluster will serve a wide range of clients, with features that will enhance research involving machine learning and Big Data. 
(Ohio Supercomputer Center)

The Pitzer Cluster, named for the center’s co-founder Russel M. Pitzer, will be used by scientists working on a variety of research projects, including studies of the human genome and mapping the global spread of viruses, according to the center.

The cluster has 260 nodes, 528 Intel Xeon Gold 6148 processors, and 64 NVIDIA Tesla V100 Tensor Core GPU all connected by an EDR InfiniBand network.

According to the announcement from the center, “The Pitzer Cluster will utilize CoolIT Systems’ DCLC, a modular, low-pressure, rack-based cooling solution that enables a dramatic increase in rack density, component performance and power efficiency.

“To support the high-performance requirements of the system, CoolIT’s Passive Coldplate Loop for the PowerEdge C6420 servers delivers dedicated liquid cooling to the Intel processors in each of the 256 CPU nodes, managed by a stand-alone, central pumping CHx650 Coolant Distribution Unit.”

CoolIT Systems claimed that this cooling solution allows 23% more rack equipment to be deployed and can save companies as much as 56% on cooling costs.

The company also announced that it was providing liquid cooling solutions for the Cray Shasta supercomputer, the Intel Compute Module, the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), and the Dell EMC HPC and AI Innovation Lab.

“CoolIT Systems, in partnership with Dell EMC, is proud to support OSC’s Pitzer Cluster with cutting-edge Direct Contact Liquid Cooling that enables high-density, energy-efficient data center thermal management,” said Patrick McGinn, vice president, business development and product marketing, CoolIT Systems.

“Possessing the latest and most efficient liquid-cooling system in OSC’s history, the Pitzer Cluster will support the center’s most demanding research efforts whilst significantly reducing overall energy consumption and total cost of ownership.”