KTH's new supercomputer is the fastest in Sweden

Published Feb 22, 2023

KTH's new supercomputer Dardel is the fastest in Sweden, according to TOP500, which lists the world’s 500 fastest computer facilities. The supercomputer also ranks fifth among the most sustainable,according to the latest Green500 list.

The Dardel supercomputer is primarily used to perform high-level calculations in areas such as fluid mechanics, molecular dynamics, biophysics and quantum chemistry. It involves advanced calculations to make air crafts, boats and ships more energy efficient when moving through air or water. It is also used in medical research while becoming increasingly important in the development of Artificial Intelligence.

Dardel uses as little as 146 kW of electricity and lists as the fifth most energy-efficient supercomputer in the world, according to Green500. Computers with similar architecture as Dardel’s occupy five of the top seven places on the list. The ‘greenest’ supercomputer is the Henri Lenovo machine located at Flatiron Institute, Florida.

“It is an honour to have the fastest supercomputer in Sweden while also ranking high in sustainability. It shows that KTH is at the forefront of this development. Dardel will make a significant contribution to our research,” says Gert Svensson, deputy director at the KTH Centre for High Performance Computing.

Can perform more than 8 billiards multiplications

Dardel consists of two parts, one with standard processors and one with graphics processors (GPUs). Dardel's GPU part can perform 8,259 petaFLOPS, which are calculations (additions and multiplications with many decimal places) per second. Dardel can thus perform a staggering 8,259,000,000,000,000 multiplications and additions every second.

The second fastest computer in Sweden is Berzelius at the National Super Computer Center at Linköping University, with 5,253 petaFLOPS, ranked 110 on the TOP500 list.

Fully developed

Dardel was inaugurated in February 2021 at the initial cost of SEK 100 million, mainly financed by the Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing. Two years later, Dardel is fully developed and consists of a Cray EX system with 1,270 separate computers with standard processors and 56 computers with graphics processors. The computer was built by Hewlet Packard Enterprises while Advanced Micro Devices provided the processors. KTH's supercomputer has (SNIC). Current operating costs has since 2023 been covered by the National Academic Infrastructure for Computing in Sweden.

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