The KAUST Supercomputing Core Lab (KSL) and the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) have been collaborating since 2016 to enhance weather forecasting capabilities in Saudi Arabia. KSL provides consultation, data storage, and computing time on the Shaheen II supercomputer to NCM. This collaboration has led to a significant increase in NCM's HPC facility computing capacity, from 10 to 380 TFLOPS, with ongoing work to reach 1.8 PFLOPS. Why it matters: This partnership strengthens Saudi Arabia's ability to provide accurate and timely weather forecasts, crucial for public safety, aviation, and national security, demonstrating the importance of HPC in addressing critical environmental challenges.
KAUST has been awarded the ACM Gordon Bell Prize for Climate Modelling, considered the "Nobel" of high-performance computing, for their work on exascale climate emulators. The winning paper, a collaborative effort with institutions including the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, addresses the computational and storage demands of high-resolution earth system models. The KAUST team included Sameh Abdulah, Marc G. Genton, David E. Keyes, and others. Why it matters: This is the first time an institution in the Middle East has won the prize, highlighting KAUST's leadership in high-performance computing and climate research in the region.
KAUST researchers have been selected as finalists for two ACM Gordon Bell Prizes for high-performance computing. One project used NVIDIA GPUs to enhance genetic studies from the UK Biobank, achieving 133x speedup over existing software. The other developed an exascale climate emulator with higher spatial-temporal resolution than current models, demonstrated on supercomputers like Shaheen III. Why it matters: The recognition highlights KAUST's strength in high-performance computing research and its contributions to both genetic analysis and climate modeling.
KAUST and K.A.CARE have partnered to study solar irradiation and atmospheric weather conditions in Saudi Arabia, leveraging K.A.CARE's Renewable Resources Atlas Project. The collaboration uses KAUST's Shaheen II supercomputer to simulate weather and atmospheric conditions from 2005-2018. The long-term goal is daily forecasting of weather and air quality across the Arabian Peninsula. Why it matters: This initiative will provide crucial data for renewable energy development and environmental monitoring in the region, supporting Saudi Arabia's sustainability goals.
KAUST participated in the Supercomputing Conference (SC17) in Denver, Colorado, with faculty, staff, and students. The university's Shaheen 2 Cray XC40 System was ranked the 20th fastest globally and the fastest in the Middle East. KAUST's IT department hosted talks featuring David Keyes, Jack Dongarra, Thierry-Laurent, Mootaz Elnozahy, and Jason Roos. Why it matters: KAUST's strong presence at SC17 highlights its commitment to advancing supercomputing capabilities in the Middle East and fostering international collaboration.