National Supercomputer Technology Platform (NSTP)

Organization members

The updated list of chelon of NSTP is submitted here

Leadership team

The leadership team of the technical platform is approved on September 28, 2011:

• the chairman of the supervisory board of NSTP - the president of the national research center "Kurchatov Institute" academician Evgeny Velikhov,

• cochairmen - the rector of MSU Viktor Sadovnichii, the director of scientific research institute of system researches of RAS academician Victor Betelin and the deputy director general of the director of Rosatom Ivan Kamenskikh.

• secretariat of NSTP: the director of the INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM of RAS Sergey Abramov, the deputy director general of RCC of MSU Vladimir Voyevodin, the Head of Unit "The software of computing systems and networks" IPM of M.V. Keldyscha RAHN Mikhail Yakobovsky and the deputy director JSCC RAS Boris Shabanov.

Development of the exaFLOPS computer

• On September 28, 2011 it became known that the concept of development in Russia of technologies of high-performance computing based on the supercomputer of an exaFLOPS class for 2012-2020 is prepared and approved by interdepartmental group on development of supercomputers in Russia and to their application in the industry headed by the CEO of Rosatom Sergey Kiriyenko. Authors of the document reported about it, speaking at a general meeting of the National Supercomputer Technology Platform (NSTP)^[1].

Completion of the exaFLOPS concept on the basis of notes of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications is now conducted, specified CNews in this department. The source close to the working group explained that these notes concern inclusion in the concept of the section on creation of computing GRID-networks.

Besides, offers on the concept are expected also from industrial enterprises, adds a source. After final study of the document, it is going to be provided to Council under the President of the Russian Federation for development of information society which will take place in October, 2011, the interlocutor of CNews says.

The working group making the document under the auspices of Rosatom state corporation includes also the staff of RAS organizations and several leading universities of Russia. Works on the concept were conducted more than half a year.

Speaking at a meeting of NSTP, participants of the working group told that the concept assumes not only step-by-step creation of actually exaFLOPS supercomputer, but also development of component base for it, including microelectronic (on public commercial processors not to construct such system, specialists agree in opinion) and also system and applied software. Project participants also noted that future exaFLOPS system will "be ground" only under a narrow class of tasks in a number of strategically important industries among which – defense and oil and gas sectors.

The chief specialist of development department of research and production base of a nuclear weapon complex of Rosatom state corporation Alexey Volgin at a meeting of NSTP noted that now the concept has a signature stamp "for office use", and is not going to do it by property of publicity yet. However the report on it can be submitted at the next meeting of participants of the technical platform and is posted on the Internet in a short form.

In spite of the fact that the participants of NSTP who were not engaged in writing of the concept did not get acquainted with it yet, the board of the platform at a general meeting already suggested them to assume the exaFLOPS project as a basis of activity of all technical platform. From voted this idea 41 persons supported, against there were 36 people.

Why the ekzaflopsnik is necessary

The exaFLOPS supercomputer is capable to execute over quintillion (10 in the 18th degrees, one billion billions) operations per second. It honor in one thousand times more productivities of the most powerful of the Russian supercomputer (according to the rating of Top-50) Lomonosov installed in MSU today. Its peak capacity is 1.3 Pflops. The most powerful in the world (for September, 2011) the Japanese system installed at Scientific institute of computing RIKEN technologies has high-speed performance in 8 Pflops.

The exaFLOPS systems are considered as the tool for solving of tasks, requiring large-scale modeling with a big accuracy. With their help, for example, it is possible to model entirely nuclear reactors with all processes happening in them or to develop aircraft engines of new generation.

Implementation terms

As for terms of creation of the supercomputer, it is going to be built with tenfold increase in capacities each three years. In 2011 Rosatom announced start of a system with a power of 1 of Pflops in the Federal nuclear center under control of it in Sarov. In 2014-2015 start of a system at 10-15 Pflops, in 2017-2018 – 100 Pflops is planned, and in 2020 – to reach exaFLOPS performance level.

According to one of the authors of the concept speaking at a meeting of NSTP in 2011 on the basis of the document it is going to develop the specific program for implementation.

Question price

The experts working on the concept estimated previously the amount of funds, necessary for project implementation, approximately at 45 billion rubles, told CNews the source close to the working group. The second source familiar with the course of preparation of the document confirmed that the speech goes to concepts about the amount of such order.

However, final assessment of the project budget can change in the greater or lower side when the document undergoes approval of all interested instances.

The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications told CNews that volumes of necessary financing will be determined by results of completion of the concept. The source of CNews close to the working group added that the amount can exceed 50-55 billion rubles.

It should be noted that for 2020 China and Japan have exaFLOPS plans also. In August, 2011 it was reported that Japan estimated previously the cost of creation of such machine at $1.3 billion (about 40 billion rubles on effective currency rate). The USA is going to create the exaFLOPS supercomputer of the Russian and Asian colleagues slightly earlier - in 2018.

Contractors

In present version of the concept possible contractors of projects are offered. For basic researches for this role institutes of RAS, and for implementation of an applied part - structures of Rosatom and the supplier of supercomputers T-Platforms move forward. The last company together with state corporation could participate in development of architecture of computing systems and, perhaps, element base, considers a source of CNews.

History

2010

• The program of formation in Russia of technology platforms began in 2010. Her idea is borrowed from Europe where this direction develops more than 10 years. On an original idea of the technical platform serve as the communication instrument of interaction of science, business and the state directed to increasing efforts for creation of perspective commercial technologies, products and services. In Europe over 35 technical platforms in the different directions work.

• Since the beginning of 2010 according to "The concept of long-term social and economic development of the Russian Federation till 2020" and "The actions plan on stimulation of the innovation activity of the enterprises performed within implementation in 2009-2010 of the Main activities of the Government of the Russian Federation" to a number of departments and organizations — the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Minpromtorg of Russia, the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation, Rosatom State Corporation, Rusnanotech Group, JSC RVC — charges work on formation of technology platforms as new instrument of support and stimulation of scientific and technical and innovative development of the country.

• In the first decade of March, 2010 of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation involved in this work of IPS of A.K. Eilamasjana RAHN as the SKIF-GRID program and SCYTHIAN cooperation according to them had some lines of future national supercomputer technology platform by then.

• In the spring and summer of 2010 of IPS of A.K. Eilamasjana RAHN conducted work on formation of documents of the National Supercomputer Technology Platform (NSTP).

NSTP is focused on a complete scope of all participants of the Russian supercomputer industry — developers of equipment rooms and software tools (with the most different approaches), developers of application programs, developers of grid technologies, suppliers and consumers of supercomputer services, those organizations of science, education, high-tech industries and the social sphere whose innovative development will be defined by development supercomputer and grid technologies.

• By August, 2010 the first stage of preparatory work was completed.

At a meeting of Government Commission on High Technology and Innovation on August 02, 2010 in the report of the Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation A.N. Klepach, among nine technology platforms with a high share of study of documents also NSTP was called.

On November 02, 2010 discussion of the project of a technology platform on Board of Directors of institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences took place, the project in general was approved.

Since fall of 2010, according to Sergey Abramov, the director of Institute of program systems A.K. Eilamasjana RAHN (the INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM of RAS), its institute offered MSU and other participants of SIT (the Supercomputer Technologies program as which initiators also MSU is registered) to enter into NSTP.

Till November 25, 2010 all persons interested could submit applications for creation of the supercomputer technical platform. The document package about which there is a speech includes the project of implementation of the integrated supercomputer technical platform, justification of its compliance to the key directions of scientific technology development of Russia, data on an initiative of formation of the platform, the list of its participants. MSU — "Strategic Information Technologies" (SIT) where supercomputers are registered as one of five strategic ICT directions submitted the INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM of RAS the corresponding application under the name "National Technology Supercomputer Platform" (NSTP), and. Attracted to that moment of the INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM of RAS to the NSTP platform over one hundred participants, MSU in SIT - several tens.

2011

• In January, 2011 the board of NSTP in which it was offered to rector of MSU Viktor Sadovnichii to hold the co-chairman's post from education along with entry of MSU into NSTP was created.

Officials considered that two "points of entry" on supercomputer projects are not necessary to them therefore they included one technical platform under the name "Supercomputer Technologies" as which initiators both MSU, and the INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM of RAS is registered in the preliminary list of technical platforms published by the Ministry of Economic Development on February 4, 2011. Technical platforms in the preliminary list are offered to be approved Government Commission on High Technology and Innovation — behind it there has to be the last word.

After the Ministry of Economic Development published the preliminary list of technical platforms, the INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM of RAS and some other participants of NSTP — Rosatom State Corporation, Research Center Kuchatovsky Institute, SRISA of RAS — held several negotiations and meetings as a result of which they agreed with MSU to integrate in one technical platform under the name "National Technology Supercomputer Platform". At the same time Abramov saw consolidation of technical platforms by the entry of MSU into already ready NSTP and considered it necessary to save documents NSTP without changes.

Such approach, apparently, did not suit MSU, and as a result participants agreed to create editorial group led by Vladimir Voyevodin which will prepare documents of already integrated platform. At the same time board decision of NSTP of February 16 decides to consider and accept offers on refining of a document package of the integrated platform at a general meeting of NSTP in April, 2011. Along with other board members under this solution as the cochairman of the platform also Sadovnichiy subscribed. According to Abramov, it means that in fact Sadovnichiy accepted the proposal which is earlier made him to hold this post.

• On February 24, 2011 contrary to in writing issued arrangements of MSU on the initiative sent a document package to Andrey Klepach on behalf of NSTP, without waiting for a general meeting, Abramov claims. "Using our name — the National supercomputer technology platform — MSU sent to the deputy minister a document package, not approved with other participants of the platform — Abramov says. — Considering that formally MSU still did not submit the application for accession to NSTP, it is extremely difficult to call this step differently as attempt of raider occupation of our platform". Directed papers to Klepach the rector of Lomonosov Moscow State University Viktor Sadovnichii and the deputy director of Research computer center of the university Vladimir Voyevodin.

• On February 28, 2011 Sergey Abramov initiating creation in Russia of the National Supercomputer Technology Platform (NSTP) sent the letter to the Deputy Minister of Economic Development Andrey Klepach in whom he said that documents on behalf of NSTP which the official received the day before are illegitimate, and to this platform no relation is. The coordinator of NSTP Evgeny Lilitko sent to participants of the technical platform the letter in which called a step of MSU attempt to change documents of the project and urged participants to treat it as to misunderstanding and a personal initiative of Sadovnichiy and Vojvodina.

The conflict was aggravated also with the fact that in the document package sent to MSU the participant list NSTP was reduced with more than 160 to 37. However, afterwards Voyevodin to participants apologized for it, having explained the incident with a technical error.

Vladimir Voyevodin told CNews^[2]that worked according to jointly the made decisions. "on February 8 in RCC of MSU the meeting at which the decision on creation of the integrated supercomputer platform on the basis of NSTP and SIT was made took place. To take a constructive step to consolidation and to pass to drawing up informative documents, the parties agreed to accept the name "National Supercomputer Technology Platform" matching the name of the platform offered the INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM of RAS for the integrated platform. At the same meeting of the party agreed to create editorial group which work was charged to be organized to me, for creation of documents of the integrated supercomputer platform on the basis of all that the best that was in the NSTP and SIT initial projects. It was also made".

Voyevodin also specially emphasized that the speech should go not about accession of any one platform to another, and about their consolidation.

• On September 28, 2011 it became known that in Russia the concept of the exaFLOPS supercomputer is prepared. On project implementation till 2020 about 45 billion rubles will be required, authors of the project estimate.

• On September 28, 2011 participants of a national supercomputer technology platform vote declared valid consolidation of two similar platforms from MSU and the INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM of RAS in one. Also the basis of its activity - the project on creation of the exaFLOPS supercomputer is selected. Nevertheless, before harmonious work still far - initiators and participants of the platform should agree about a set of questions of organizational and informative character^[3].

The first general meeting of the national supercomputer technology platform (NSTP) at which its participants made a number of the decisions concerning activity of this consolidation took place. By vote the being present participants defined a number of the key moments connected with activity of NSTP. Recognition by NSTP (the INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM of RAS) which took place associations of technology platforms and "Strategic information technologies" (MSU) in one under the name "National Supercomputer Technology Platform", and automatic switch-on in it all participants of these two technical platforms became one of the decisions made by vote at a meeting.

Let's remind that these organizations submitted applications for creation of the national supercomputer technology technical platform to the Ministry of Economic Development coordinating implementation in Russia of the program for creation of technology platforms, independently of each other, everyone with the project of implementation of the technical platform and the list of the organizations which joined it. Officials did not begin to give preference to someone from them, and integrated both requests in one and charged them to initiators to agree among themselves about consolidation.

Views of consolidation at the INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM of RAS and MSU differ: so, the first insists on accession of MSU to its technical platform registered in Ministry of Justice as non-profit partnership, the second considers that it is unacceptable - the speech should go only about consolidation and development of the new documentation regulating activity of already joint structure.

Acceptance for a basis of activities of the integrated technical platform of the concept for development of technology of high-performance computing based on the super computer of an exaFLOPS class for 2012-2020 which was prepared by the working group under the auspices of Rosatom including also specialists from institutes of RAS and the leading Russian universities became one more solution developed by vote at a general meeting. This decision was, however, made with clauses as the concept, according to the representative of Rosatom Alexey Volgin while has the status "for office use" and most of members of NSTP in eyes did not see it.

Also the main directions of scientific activity of NSTP, their responsible heads and deputies were defined. Vote approved also leadership team of the technical platform: the chairman of the supervisory board of NSTP is the president of the national research center "Kurchatov Institute" academician Evgeny Velikhov, cochairmen - the rector of MSU Viktor Sadovnichii, the director of scientific research institute of system researches of RAS academician Victor Betelin and the deputy director general of the director of Rosatom Ivan Kamenskikh. Also the secretariat of NSTP is selected: the director of the INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM of RAS Sergey Abramov, the deputy director general of RCC of MSU Vladimir Voyevodin, the Head of Unit "The software of computing systems and networks" IPM of M.V. Keldyscha RAHN Mikhail Yakobovsky and the deputy director JSCC RAS Boris Shabanov.

The general meeting of NSTP was going to be held in April, 2011, however it was postponed. Before consolidation of technical platforms of MSU and the INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM of RAS the total number of participants on both sides exceeded 200 scientific, educational, commercial organizations and also individuals. At a general meeting there were about 120 of them.

Despite the made decisions, many questions concerning work of NSTP remain not clear. So, while there is no decision on its organizational form (a choice should be made between consortium and non-profit partnership) and also the documented accurate distribution of functions and responsibility between its management and participants.

At a meeting also the alternative package of proposals for consideration from the INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM of RAS which, however, did not pass was offered. "De jure and de facto, as a result of the made decisions the platform appeared without accurate determination of contents and a form. So still it is necessary to think and work on it — before the platform begins to be engaged in something in other, informative. Today's solutions returned the platform by the beginning of "racetrack", - Sergey Abramov considers.

However, according to him, the final analysis of the made decisions, it is necessary to do only after obtaining the approved minutes of a general meeting.

Notes