Revolutionizing High-Performance Computing with Next-Gen Exascale Interconnects

The next generation of high-performance computing (HPC) systems relies on efficient communication between hundreds of thousands of computing nodes, a feat made possible by exascale interconnects. These high-performance networks are crucial for managing exponential data growth, achieving refined accuracy, and reducing time-to-solution in various scientific and industrial fields. The European project REDSEA is at the forefront of this development, aiming to evaluate the architectural design of main elements of interconnection networks to enable Exascale for HPC, HPDA, and AI applications. With its focus on power-efficient accelerators and compute units, refined accuracy, and reduced time-to-solution, exascale interconnects are poised to revolutionize the way we approach complex simulations and data analysis.

Exascale interconnects refer to the high-speed networks that enable the efficient communication between hundreds of thousands of computing nodes in next-generation High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems. These interconnects play a crucial role in supporting Exascale deployments, which aim to solve complex scientific and industrial problems by leveraging massive parallel processing capabilities.

The development of exascale interconnects is driven by the need for refined accuracy, shorter time-to-solution, and efficient management of exponential data growth in simulations of complex phenomena. These simulations are critical in various fields, including multiphysics, multiple phases, and heterogeneous workflows. To achieve this, efficient networks supporting massively parallel processing systems will be a key component in the next generation of Exascale deployments.

The European project REDSEA aims to evaluate the architectural design of main elements of interconnection networks for the next generation of HPC systems, enabling Exascale for HPC, High-Performance Data Analytics (HPDA), and AI applications. The project’s goal is to provide preliminary prototypes while ensuring that these networks are power-efficient and support accelerators and compute units.

REDSEA is a European project funded under the H2020-JTIEuroHPC2019 call, which started in April 2021. The project aims to evaluate the architectural design of main elements of interconnection networks for the next generation of HPC systems supporting hundreds of thousands of computing nodes. This enables Exascale for HPC, HPDA, and AI applications while providing preliminary prototypes.

The consortium behind REDSEA consists of 11 well-established research teams across Europe with extensive experience in interconnects, including network design, deployment, and evaluation. The project’s main technological feature is the BXI network, originally designed and produced by ATOS France. The plan is to integrate architectural solutions and novel IPs developed within the framework of REDSEA into the next release of the network, known as BXI3.

Exascale interconnects must support power-efficient accelerators and compute units to enable efficient scaling at Exascale levels and beyond. Novel interconnects must also be designed to support emerging data-centric and AI-related applications, which require massive parallel processing capabilities.

The main technological feature of exascale interconnects is the BXI network, originally designed and produced by ATOS France. The plan is to integrate architectural solutions and novel IPs developed within the framework of REDSEA into the next release of the network, known as BXI3. This integration will enable the efficient communication between hundreds of thousands of computing nodes in next-generation HPC systems.

APEnetX is a scalable interconnect prototyped on latest generation Xilinx FPGAs, developed within the framework of REDSEA. The project’s consortium, led by INFN, has adopted a hardware-software co-design approach to design and develop APEnetX.

APEnetX is an FPGA-based PCIe Gen3/4 network interface card equipped with RDMA capabilities, being the endpoint of a direct multidimensional toroidal network. This makes it suitable for integration in the BXI environment. The design of APEnetX will be benchmarked on project testbeds using real scientific applications like NEST, a spiking neural network simulator.

The benefits of exascale interconnects include refined accuracy, shorter time-to-solution, and efficient management of exponential data growth in simulations of complex phenomena. These simulations are critical in various fields, including multiphysics, multiple phases, and heterogeneous workflows.

Exascale interconnects will enable the efficient communication between hundreds of thousands of computing nodes in next-generation HPC systems, supporting Exascale deployments for HPC, HPDA, and AI applications. This will lead to breakthroughs in scientific research and industrial innovation, driving economic growth and improving quality of life.

The future of exascale interconnects looks promising, with ongoing research and development efforts aimed at pushing the boundaries of what is possible. The European project REDSEA is a key player in this effort, aiming to evaluate the architectural design of main elements of interconnection networks for the next generation of HPC systems.

As the demand for Exascale computing continues to grow, so will the need for efficient and power-efficient interconnects that can support massive parallel processing capabilities. The development of exascale interconnects will be critical in enabling breakthroughs in scientific research and industrial innovation, driving economic growth and improving quality of life.