In terms of hardware, EUPEX has a two-fold objective:
Design the hardware architecture of the heterogeneous modular pilot platform
Deploy and operate Arm-based pilot production-class platforms, and make them available to the European scientific communities
Heterogeneous Modular pilot platform
In this respect, EUPEX’s objectives are to:
- Collect the key technological requirements for EUPEX and for the future Exascale systems and define the architecture for the Modular Pilot Platform, including the interconnect technology and topology.
- Define the hardware implementation of EUPEX compute modules.
- Design the components of EUPEX (mainly nodes and blades, and improvements in existing components such as interconnects and ancillary equipment) leveraging the high performance and efficiency of European SiPearl Rhea processor and the OpenSequana specifications, and targeting:
- easy serviceability and replacement of the blade
- easy download and upgrade of the node firmware, device drivers and low-level code
- hot-swap at the blade level
- the highest level of MTBF consistent with the adoption of innovative components such as the first generation of the EPI processor.
- Design the blades and the interconnectivity at the router level to optimize the I/O requirements of the applications (as provided by WP3) while taking into account the architectural constraints and the tools/utilities provided by WP5.
- Provide WP6 with a number (exact number to be agreed with WP6) of spare blades for on-site replacement of faulty blades.
Pilot deployment and operation
The objectives are to:
Provide, operate and assess advanced Arm-based production-class platforms including access to early systems and the final pilot system.
Make such facilities available to partners and more globally to the European scientific communities – e.g. through PRACE preparatory access.
Ensure pre-production service level on the system and assess its stability, maturity, usability, maintainability.
