Setonix fires up for researchers

The first phase of the new Setonix supercomputer is now available, creating a faster, user-friendly interface to accelerate discoveries.

Setonix Phase 1 is delivering double the compute power of its predecessor, Magnus, via 3rd generation AMD EPYC CPUs. Setonix gives Pawsey’s researchers access to greater performance, enhanced memory bandwidth, and connectivity to the 10x faster Pawsey network.

Combined with Pawsey’s new object storage system Acacia, which is also connected to the network, researchers are able to move data faster than ever from long-term storage into Setonix’s short-term storage. The seamlessly integrated infrastructure enables advanced workflows previously unimaginable.

Setonix Phase 2 is now on its way to Australia, to be installed once the legacy supercomputers Magnus and Zeus are decommissioned and physically removed.

Magnus provided over two billion core hours since its inception eight years ago and supported over 800 research projects, including discovering more efficient ways to harvest renewables, creating a new atlas of the universe, and discovering gold beneath Australia’s soil.

In the meantime, Pawsey is expediting the migration to Setonix by training researchers and providing detailed documentation – 100+ pages of guidance, complemented by a Setonix User Guide – to help them make the step-change to the new system.

The launch of Phase 1 is a critical milestone in our supercomputing transformation, and we look forward to expanding the capabilities of Setonix in the coming months.