Today we are back at the Green Data Center in Ferrera Erbognone (Pavia) to check out HPC7, our latest supercomputer, pushing the boundaries of industrial high-performance computing. With a sustained computing capacity of over 571 PFlop/s and a peak performance of more than 861 PFlop/s, the new supercomputer ranks sixth in the global TOP500, second in Europe and first worldwide among industrial computing systems. Combined with HPC6 – now in eight place – HPC7 delivers a step change in data processing and simulation, breaking through the Exascale threshold. Together, the two systems provide a total computing capacity of more than one quintillion mathematical operations per second.

Inside the TOP500
To put this this achievement into perspective, it’s worth looking closer at the TOP500, the independent organization that compiles the ranking of the world’s 500 most powerful supercomputers. Published twice a year, in June and November, since 1993, the ranking is based on the results of dedicated benchmark tests in which each machine must solve a system of linear equations. Performance is measured both in terms of peak performance and, crucially for the ranking, maximum sustained performance over time.

A model of efficiency
HPC6 and HPC7 operate within our Green Data Center, which combines outstanding computing performance, energy efficiency and sustainability, thanks in part to the integration of advanced air- and liquid-cooling solutions. Driven by this sustainable design, HPC7 also secured eleventh place globally in the Green500 (which measures the energy efficiency of these computers) ranking first among the systems just outside the top 10, with an energy efficiency of 65.426 GFlops/W.

The strategic role of HPC7
High-performance computing is essential for integrating expertise and applications across the entire value chain. HPC7 supports our key innovation priorities by enabling the growth of emerging value chains and simulating highly complex processes – such as biofuels and plasma behaviour in magnetic confinement fusion.