Tennessee Tech has launched the Genesis high-performance computing system.
Dean of the College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech Joseph Slater said the system functions as a massive scientific instrument designed to address significant societal challenges. Slater said the supercomputer will facilitate research in several critical sectors including advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, healthcare, energy systems, and intelligent infrastructure.
“The Genesis computer puts Tennessee Tech and thus Tennessee into the top 10 supercomputers operated by universities in the US,” Slater said. “It’s a huge scientific instrument for solving major challenges facing society today. It is here to help us solve problems in advanced manufacturing, cyber security, healthcare.”
Slater said the university invested in the large-scale system to ensure the state remains competitive in a global environment driven by technological advancement. Slater said the presence of an extremely capable computer is the best way for scientists and engineers to stay ahead of international competitors.
“To stay competitive, Tennessee has to have the best scientists and engineers and computer scientists in the world,” Slater said. “It’s a very competitive world where it’s driven by scientific discovery and technological advancement.”
The supercomputer provides students with hands-on experience using the latest technology to prepare them for the workforce. Slater said this training is vital for students entering industry or government research labs where they will be expected to solve complex problems.
“Students with access to Genesis will get real world experience with the very latest greatest technology so they are prepared when they get into the workforce already knowing how to use these tools to solve problems that they’ll be expected to solve when they get into industry or government research labs or whatnot,” Slater said.
Slater said failing to provide students and researchers with these tools can lead to economic decline for states and nations. Slater said organizations that do not utilize the latest technology struggle to attract business and customers, which ultimately impacts the resources available to enhance the livelihoods of local residents.
“If you’re not prepared with your competitors, then you lose out, you fall behind,” Slater said. “Companies, nations, states that don’t have the people with the latest technology which comes from using the latest tools, they fall behind economically.”
The Genesis system is located at the Crossville Research Center to support economic development within the Upper Cumberland. Slater said placing major infrastructure in the area helps grow the local economy naturally.
“By investing this major resource into Crossville, we are investing in the Upper Cumberland area and helping grow the economy that naturally rises when you set up a major infrastructure piece like this in the area,” Slater said.
Tennessee Tech has more than doubled its research activity over the last five years and expects the supercomputer to accelerate that growth. Slater said the university will use access to the system as a competitive advantage when applying for federal funding and partnerships.
“We will be including regular access to this system as part of our competitive advantage when trying to solve those problems,” Slater said. “Those problems require the solution of massive computational power to be competitive.”
Slater said the system will serve as a shared resource for all universities across the state of Tennessee. Slater said the state provided support for the project, which will allow various institutions to leverage the technology to compete for national awards.
“This will be a shared resource for all universities across the state so it will rise, it will raise everyone in the state in being able to compete for these national awards, not just Tennessee Tech,” Slater said. “So this is going to benefit all of Tennessee and it’s going to be very exciting time for Tennessee moving forward with this support we’re getting from the state that we’ll be able to leverage in pushing us to the forefront in computational excellence.”