Menu

How High-Performance Computing is Pushing the Boundaries of Innovation

October 03, 2023

By Benjamin Nigl, Senior Account Manager

HPC systems are characterized by their high-speed processing power, high-performance networks, and large-memory capacity, generating the capability to perform massive amounts of parallel processing. When a standard desktop with a 3 GHz processor can perform around 3 billion calculations per second, an average HPC system can perform quadrillions of calculations per second. This means HPC systems perform extreme amounts of calculations in seconds, whereas a regular processor would take weeks or even months to complete the same task, thanks to their technology.

While not every system requires an extreme processing speed, HPC is essential for advanced, time-consuming use cases that rely on:

  • Extreme performance databases
  • Big data and massive multi-dimensional datasets
  • Real-time data analytics
  • Advanced machine learning and AI elements

HPC is an essential capability to enterprises across a broad spectrum of industries, including manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, energy, life sciences, finance, and more. HPC gives enterprises the ability to discover scientific and business insights, develop new products, and open new avenues for progress by enabling multi-physics simulations, digital twin models, big data analytics, machine learning, and other complex engineering and scientific workloads, but even the largest enterprises can struggle to deploy, manage, and scale the robust HPC resources they need for success in the modern world.


Function of HPC in some industries:
AI and High-Performance Computing
The synergy between HPC and AI is evident in the growing number of applications that combine power of these technologies. For instance, in the field of scientific research, HPC has been instrumental in accelerating the discovery of new materials, simulating complex physical phenomena, and predicting the behavior of molecules and atoms. Researchers can optimize their models, making them more accurate and efficient by incorporating AI and ML techniques into these simulations.

Engineering and High-Performance Computing
Engineering is about boosting machines’ performance, but testing prototypes is expensive. In order to work around this, engineers often test new designs in massive computer simulations. Thanks to HPC systems, simulations have been used to test the functionality of airplane parts, streamline racing bike frames and much more.

Healthcare and High-Performance Computing HPC Computing
Medicine and computing are as intimately intertwined as DNA’s double helix. Computers store confidential patient information, track vital signs and analyze drug efficacy. The rise of HPC has allowed medical professionals to digitize even more complex processes, too, like genome sequencing and drug testing.

Urban Planning and High-Performance Computing
HPCs help urban planners make predictions and build models, run simulations, bringing the dream of a smart city closer to reality. Major metropolises across the globe have begun collecting sensor data on weather, traffic patterns and noise levels, all of which allow officials to make data-driven decisions about everything from when to issue smog warnings to how often trains should run. It also lets them quantify longer-term issues like climate change, and as smart city sensor networks collect so much data, they need HPC to parse it all. With HPCs we can do smarter designs and planning, empower energy research, forecast the weather, augment transportation, monitor air pollution.

Click the buttons below to share this blog post!

Return to the main Blog page




Leave a comment


Also in One Stop Systems Blog

Tackling the Thermal Challenge of 600W+ Devices in High-Density Computing Systems
Tackling the Thermal Challenge of 600W+ Devices in High-Density Computing Systems

June 02, 2025 8 Comments

 

When the PCI-SIG formally added support for 675W add-in card devices in the PCI Express Card Electromechanical (CEM) specification in August 2023, NVIDIA’s most powerful CEM GPU, the NVIDIA H100 80GB had a maximum power consumption of 350W.  While some devices were starting to push the limits of datacenter thermodynamics – high density systems of many 675W devices seemed like a distant reality.  However, with power constraints uncapped and the need for higher performing GPUs skyrocketing, the industry quickly came out with devices taking full advantage of the new specification capability.  NVIDIA quickly replaced the H100 80GB with the H100 NVL, increasing power density to 400W.  While this small jump was manageable for existing installations, NVIDIA then dove all-in with the H200 NVL released in late 2024 at 600W.  The rapid transition from 350W to 600W has put power and cooling technologies in the spotlight in a race to solve this next generation challenge.

Continue Reading

The Future of Transportation: Will Autonomous Trucks Ever Make the Driver Obsolete?
The Future of Transportation: Will Autonomous Trucks Ever Make the Driver Obsolete?

April 14, 2025 8 Comments

The advent of technology has always brought about significant changes to various industries, and the transportation sector is no exception. Among the most transformative innovations in recent years is the development of autonomous vehicles, particularly trucks. The potential for autonomous trucks to revolutionize freight transport is immense, raising the fundamental question: will these technological advancements make human drivers obsolete? To explore this question, we must consider the current state of autonomous driving technology, the economic implications, and the societal impact of removing human drivers from the equation.

Continue Reading

Advantages and Disadvantages of Implementing AI Inference Nodes on Soldiers
Advantages and Disadvantages of Implementing AI Inference Nodes on Soldiers

January 15, 2025 8 Comments

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into military operations has revolutionized battlefield strategies, decision-making, and operational efficiency. Among these advancements, AI inference nodes deployed directly on soldiers represents a cutting-edge innovation. These nodes, compact computational devices, enable real-time AI processing and analytics, empowering soldiers with enhanced situational awareness, decision support, and operational effectiveness. However, such technology also brings challenges, particularly in power management, size, and weight constraints. This blog delves into the advantages and disadvantages of implementing AI inference nodes on soldiers, focusing on these critical aspects.

Continue Reading

You are now leaving the OSS website