Since the 1990s, scientific computing has experienced significant growth and evolution, thanks in particular to the development of computational resources. Numerical simulations are becoming increasingly "realistic," but this requires ever-growing data volumes and computing capacities.
The Côte d'Azur Observatory (OCA) has long been involved in high-performance computing (HPC), particularly in parallel computing. Since 2005, the OCA has operated the SIGAMM Intensive Computing MeSOceNter (Intensive Simulations in Geophysics, Astronomy, Mechanics, and Mathematics), initially bringing together six partner laboratories (Artémis, Lagrange, Géoazur, INLN, IPMC, JA. Dieudonné).
This mesocenter is the culmination of a project that began in 2004 and is now open to all laboratories in the Nice-Sophia-Antipolis region as well as their collaborators. As a mid-sized computing center, its role is not to compete with national centers. Its objective is to offer: great flexibility of use, respectable computing capacity to address a wide range of problems, support for users, and serve as a testing ground for the development of programs destined for national centers.
180 users share the computing time of SIGAMM. Research topics include, for example, algorithms, biodiversity, ocean-atmosphere coupling, cosmology, molecular dynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, planetary science, plasma physics, stellar physics, rheology, seismology, particle transport, and turbulence.
The CRIMSON team (Calculators and Computing Resources of the MeSOceNter) is responsible for the administration, production monitoring, management, and development of the computing center.
They manage the operating systems of the computers and monitor production.
The team also assists users in optimizing or parallelizing their codes. Providing development methodology advice and offering powerful tools are also part of their mission.
SIGAMM is equipped with 2 clusters with a peak performance of 161.4 Tflops for 3672 Cores. For more details:
User support: System and network administration: Awa Sepou Ngailo, Caroline Tchilinguirian
Technical manager: Alain Miniussi
Software engineering: Alain Miniussi