Geodesic massively-parallel supercomputer with improved thermal management

摘要

Communication latency, now a dominant factor in computer performance, makes physical size, density, and interconnect proximity crucial system design considerations. A massively-parallel computer which may be a dense, spherically framed, geodesic processor arrangement is proposed to address supercomputing hardware challenges: spatial packing, communication topology, and thermal management. However, the methods may be scaled and is largely independent of processor technology, for different computing tasks for example in climate modelling. The computer's interconnect features globally short, highly regular, and tightly matched distances. Communication modes supported include neighbour-to-neighbour messaging on a spherical-shell lattice, and a radial network for system-synchronous clocking, broadcast, packet-switched networking, and 10. A near-isothermal cooling system, physically divorcing heat source and sink, enables extraordinarily compact geodes with lower temperature operation, higher speed, and lower power consumption.