Brazil Upgrades LatAm’s Leading Supercomputer to Stay Ahead

Brazil plans a major upgrade to the Santos Dumont supercomputer, the academic giant in Latin America, housed in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro.

This move will escalate its performance from 5.1 to 17 petaflops, as per the latest announcement by Agencia Brasil.

Set for November, this expansion emerges from a pact with the National Laboratory for Scientific Computing (LNCC) and Eviden, part of Atos Group.

They have earmarked $19.4 million for this purpose. Eviden’s BullSequana XH3000 architecture will spearhead this modernization.

It addresses the rapid technology shifts and demands, considering such systems usually lose relevance in three to six years.

By January 2025, the academic sphere will gain access to these enhanced capabilities.

Imagine the power surge akin to merging tens of thousands of modern home computers.

Petrobras funds this project, paving the way for more sophisticated research, simulations, and data analysis.

Antonio Tadeu Gomes, managing the supercomputer, emphasizes three benefits: supporting more projects,

• enabling complex simulations, and
• boosting data analysis and
• AI training.

Brazil Upgrades LatAm’s Leading Supercomputer to Stay Ahead

Researchers needing high-level computing can apply through LNCC. Santos Dumont has already aided studies, including those on COVID-19.

Tadeu assures the supercomputer’s availability to all national scientists, based on the project’s scientific value and computing needs.

Additionally, experts across various fields assist in evaluating each project’s processing requirements, ensuring tailored support for groundbreaking research.