Germany's University Supercomputing Leader Powering Scientific Discovery
In 2019, while the world remained unaware of the impending global pandemic, a scientific powerhouse was quietly operating at RWTH Aachen University. The CLAIX-2018 supercomputer was not only establishing itself as the fastest computer among German universities but was also enabling top-tier research across disciplines from biology to materials engineering 2 .
This remarkable machine, whose second stage became fully operational in late 2018, represented a significant leap in computational capability for German academia, achieving a theoretical peak performance of 3.55 petaflops—enough to perform 3.55 million billion calculations every second 5 .
Second stage fully operational
Official inauguration
TOP500 and GREEN500 rankings
Molecular dynamics simulations of P2X receptors represented a cutting-edge application of CLAIX-2018's capabilities 1 . These membrane proteins function as ion channels and play critical roles in:
Atomic-level structure construction and modeling
Creating biologically relevant membrane environments
Stable configuration achievement using CLAIX processing
Extended molecular dynamics requiring hundreds of nodes
| Research Solution | Function in Simulation |
|---|---|
| Molecular Dynamics Software | Simulates physical movements of atoms and molecules over time |
| Force Field Parameters | Defines potential energy functions governing atomic interactions |
| Membrane Bilayer Models | Creates biologically relevant membrane environments |
| Ionic Solution Models | Represents physiological conditions with appropriate ion concentrations |
| Visualization Tools | Enables observation and analysis of simulation trajectories |
Modeling novel materials with tailored properties for energy storage, lightweight construction, and electronic devices
Simulating complex phenomena from quantum interactions to cosmological events
Leveraging GPU-accelerated nodes for emerging artificial intelligence applications
Visualization: Research domain distribution chart would appear here showing biology, chemistry, physics, engineering disciplines
The annual report highlighted exciting projects across numerous disciplines, demonstrating the versatility of high-performance computing in advancing knowledge 1 2 .
This diverse utilization underscored how centralized high-performance computing resources can accelerate progress across the scientific spectrum.
The success of CLAIX-2018 established a strong foundation for continued leadership in high-performance computing at RWTH Aachen University. The system demonstrated how substantial investment in computational infrastructure could provide a significant competitive advantage for both established researchers and emerging scientific fields 7 .
"The selection of NEC's solution was based on an excellent price-performance ratio with regards to the total cost of ownership, energy and cooling efficiency, as well as the total performance."
The scientific stories that emerged from CLAIX-2018 in 2019 reveal a fundamental truth about modern research: computational modeling has become as essential to scientific progress as traditional laboratory work. From understanding the intricate dance of atoms in a receptor protein to designing novel materials atom-by-atom, high-performance computing enables us to explore domains that are inaccessible through experimentation alone.
The CLAIX-2018 project demonstrated that Germany could not only compete but excel in the global high-performance computing landscape, achieving recognition for both raw computational power and energy-efficient operation. As we face increasingly complex global challenges—from developing targeted therapeutics to designing sustainable materials—the computational capabilities pioneered by systems like CLAIX will prove indispensable in our quest for knowledge and innovation.
The legacy of CLAIX-2018 continues to influence the direction of high-performance computing, reminding us that behind the impressive rankings and technical specifications, the true measure of a supercomputer's value lies in the scientific discoveries it enables and the boundaries of knowledge it helps expand.