May 25, 2023

Second place for "green" mainframe computer

The high-performance computer "Goethe NHR", developed by FIAS Fellow Volker Lindenstruth, achieved second place among the most energy-efficient mainframe computers in Germany and sixth place among the fastest.

In the published rankings, the mainframe is also far ahead in the worldwide "Green 500" comparison: thanks to its outstanding computing efficiency, it is in 9th place. This success is particularly remarkable in view of the significantly lower investment volume compared to other mainframes. Students and doctoral candidates from Lindenstruth's research group are also involved in this success.

Volker Lindenstruth, FIAS board member and Fellow since 2007, is one of Germany's most respected experts on the optimisation and energy efficiency of mainframe computers. Over the past ten years, computers designed by him have often occupied top positions in the national and world rankings of the most energy-efficient supercomputers, which are published every six months.

Frankfurt Universitys President Enrico Schleiff congratulated Lindenstruth and Thorsten Kollegger on their success in the sustainable optimisation of mainframes: "Thanks to the outstanding work of this research group, Goethe University is a pioneer in the field of green mainframes in Germany and beyond". Thanks to its efficient and sustainably produced computing power for research, Goethe University is very well positioned within the NHR consortium in Germany, he said.

The "Goethe NHR" mainframe computer, which he and his team have now substantially renewed, is located in the Frankfurt-Hoechst industrial park. It is based on the already proven, but decisively further developed technology of intelligent networking and individual optimisation of 880 AMD MI210 graphics cards. This makes it possible to build mainframes that are particularly inexpensive, powerful and at the same time energy-efficient.

The ranking can be found here: June 2023 | TOP500