Overview of the K computer System

Abstract

RIKEN and Fujitsu have been working together to develop the K computer, with the aim of beginning shared use by the fall of 2012, as a part of the High-Performance Computing Infrastructure (HPCI) initiative led by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Since the K computer involves over 80 000 compute nodes, building it with lower power consumption and high reliability was important from the availability point of view. This paper describes the K computer system and the measures taken for reducing power consumption and achieving high reliability and high availability. It also presents the results of implementing those measures.