It took two years to develop the 5-petaflop Komondor. After the testing phase, the supercomputer was put in service in the framework of a ceremony. This computer can help nearly all fields of research by processing huge amounts of data. Komondor, which combines artificial intelligence with big data, is able to process data 10,000 times faster than an everyday PC. Its capacity replaces 50,000 laptops.
Endre Spaller, president of the Agency emphasized that the data-based approach will define the future.
- The boundary between virtual reality and everyday life is fading away. It also affects science, which is increasingly applying the data-based approach. Komondor will help the work of researchers and support companies. The Agency has already had a supercomputer in Debrecen, but this one is much more powerful. Based on our experience and our fruitful cooperation, we thought that it would be a good decision to install Komondor here. It is a milestone, and perhaps the IT investment of the decade - said the president of the Agency.
According to chancellor Zoltán Bács, it is a strategic development that offers a broad range of opportunities for researchers.
- We are proud to have the most powerful supercomputer in the country. We have already had such computers, and we have an HPC centre. We have the knowledge that profoundly defines education at the Faculty of Informatics and supports research programmes. About a hundred teachers will use the supercomputer. It took hardly more than a decade to establish a HPC centre that is able to serve the needs of the whole country. Data science and artificial intelligence are in the focus at the Faculty of Informatics. That is why it was a major strategic decision to install Komondor – said chancellor Bács.
The chancellor added that the supercomputer had another advantage. The heat it generates will be transferred to the swimming complex of the town.
Mayor László Papp emphasized the economic benefits of the HPC system. He said that the IT sector was very important for Debrecen, and therefore it was a great achievement to have the most powerful supercomputer at UD. He added that the facility would soon be connected to the swimming complex, where the heat generated by the computer will be utilized.
- It is a strategic investment. In the last one hundred years life has changed faster than ever before. We are a part of this process with our developments. Our results in the fields of education and research are highly valuable for the town, and attract investors. This supercomputer opens new horizons, as data processing will be of key importance in the future – said mayor Papp.
At the ceremony, visitors could take a look at the supercomputer, and attend a drone exhibition, as well as a robot and a VR goggles presentation.
The supercomputer will be available for free for Hungarian universities, research institutions and for industry partners whenever they need it.
The Agency received a non-repayable grant to the amount of HUF 5 billion from the European Union to establish a supercomputer infrastructure (GINOP-3.1.5-20-2020-00001) and HUF 712 million from the EUROCC - National Competence Centres in the framework of EuroHPC.
Press Centre - BZ
