LUMI, a highly powerful supercomputer, is set to begin operations in Finland this year. Worth an estimated 200 million euros and hailed as one of the fastest computers of all time, it is capable of performing a whopping 552 million billion calculations per second, according to MTV.
LUMI’s computing abilities are reportedly equivalent to that of over 1.5 million modern-day laptops. Preparations are underway to house the computer at the state-owned CSC’s (IT Center for Science) data centre in the town of Kajaani in Kainuu, Eastern Finland.
The massive machine will require as much space as a tennis court, with equipment that weighs nearly 150,000 pounds.
The project was funded by the European Joint Undertaking EuroHPC, a collaboration between the EU and private partners dedicated to high-performance computing. Hewlett Packard was chosen as the system supplier.
The supercomputer will be delivered to the data centre in two stages, with the first phase amounting to 17 truckloads.
Hard iron materials will be shipped across the sea from the US and then transported to Kajaani via truck. The second stage of delivery is expected to be completed by Autumn.
Once assembled, LUMI will have multiple applications in a wide range of fields, including AI, astrophysics and climate studies. It could even play a key role in mitigating the effects of the ongoing coronavirus crisis and predicting future pandemics.
Tahira Sequeira
Helsinki Times
