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El Capitan: New supercomputer is the fastest

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Re: El Capitan: New supercomputer is the fastest

#101
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Training an LLM (basically Transformers) is different workflow from Nuclear Simulations (basically Monte Carlo simulations) There are a lot of intricates, but at a high level they require different compute approaches.

This is about the raw compute, no matter the workflow.

It isn't. I recommend reading u/pertymcpert's response.

Re: El Capitan: New supercomputer is the fastest

#102
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I doubt the US Government is telling everyone about their fastest computer.

Unless it's like, air gapped powered by a naval nuclear reactor, I feel like someone would question why a random US gov building is drawing 20-30MW of power, and exhausting most of that as heat...

How do you tell the difference between a datacenter and a supercomputer cluster? According to wikipedia, the government data center in Utah is pulling 65 MW.

Re: El Capitan: New supercomputer is the fastest

#103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The DOE has entered the chat. (after the nuclear test ban treaty, they run a LOT of simulations)

Isn't that the open secret for El Cap? "Classified workloads" aka weapons sims.

There's no real secret about nuclear weapons simulations. Sure the software they use is protected and "secret", but the real secret computing facilities are likely there to break encryption and spy on everyone. Nuclear weapons simulations don't really give the US a tactical advantage, but breaking encryption does, and so that kind of compute power would be kept secret.

Re: El Capitan: New supercomputer is the fastest

#104

This is great but I absolutely love that poster of el capitan on the supercomputer racks ! Also TIL there is a list of top500 at https://www.top500.org/lists/top500/2024/11/

> I absolutely love that poster of el capitan on the supercomputer racks

It looks good, but I miss the blinking lights of the olden days. Of course, they don't make sense on a supercomputer that's not designed to be seen, but they are still cool.

Re: El Capitan: New supercomputer is the fastest

#106

So, they built this supercomputer to test new and more deadly nuclear weapons. That makes me so "happy". I am absolutely not worried about two nuclear powers being close to the brink of direct war, even as we speak; nor about the abandonment of the course of nuclear disarmament treaty; nor about the repeated talk of a coming war against certain Asian powers. Everything is great and I'll just fawn over the colorful li…

> they built this supercomputer to test new and more deadly nuclear weapons If you are afraid of nuclear war, the thing to fear is a nuclear state's capacity to retaliate being questioned. These supercomputers are the alternative to live tests. Taking them away doesn't poof nuclear weapons, it means you are left with a half-assed deterrent or must resume live tests. > the abandonment of the course of nuclear disarmam…

> If you are afraid of nuclear war, the thing to fear is a nuclear state's capacity to retaliate being questioned.

That's why nuclear capabilities and capacities are best reduced by universal compact. It is certainly not helping when they are being _enhanced.

Also, I'm worried about the US initiating more than I do about it retaliating.

> North Korea, the American interventions in the Middle East and Ukraine set the precedent that nuclear sovereignty is in a separate category from the treaty-enforced kind.

I don't understand this sentence because I'm not familiar with the combined term "nuclear sovereignty".

Regardless - it is certainly the case that non-proliferation won't be made on the back of aging and degrading weapons; there must a continued commitment to NP in the sense of not developing new weapons.

> One invites war by refusing to prepare for it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begging_the_question

Anyway, the US initiates most of its wars, so the "invitation" is irrelevant.

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