News Russia prepares 128-core server platform for supercomputers: Report

[Admin]

Russia reportedly preps a supercomputer platform based on a 128-core server platform but it is unclear where the processors will be made.

Russia prepares 128-core server platform for supercomputers: Report : Read more

 

[hotaru251]

I do question how they actually think they'd make something competitive with the rets of world given even china that dumped a ton into the industry is still playing catch up..

I am all for nations trying to make their own stuff thoguh so hope it goes well.

 

[bit_user]

Did it say what ISA these will be?

Given the fact that Taiwan-based foundries are excluded from its options (e.g. TSMC, Vanguard, etc.) due to sanctions, the only way for Russia to produce this CPU is to ask Chinese foundries, namely SMIC and Hua Hong.

Why do you omit Samsung from consideration? From what I've read, South Korea has been reluctant to impose restrictions on non-military trade with Russia. Maybe that's starting to change, but you don't seem to rule them either in or out.

 

[shady28]

You don't have to be on the latest and greatest node to have a viable IT infrastructure for industry. For that matter, the vast majority of data center servers in use are not even on 7nm, they're using 14nm class chips. These things don't just disappear when a new node starts up.

In fact, 7nm class server chips really didn't hit data centers much until ~2021. I know we just upgraded some VM infrastructure in 2023, brand new systems, using Ice Lake-SP. That's Intel 10nm (~same as TSMC N7). Unless you're Google or Amazon, the latest chips don't seem to be available for ~12-18 months after launch.

If you think that's odd, you'd be wrong. Look at Cisco's UCS offerings - all but the top end UCS blades are 3rd Gen Xeon (Ice Lake-SP), while the top dog is 4th Gen Xeon (Sapphire Rapids) which started mass production over 2 years ago. No Emerald Rapids.

~60% of the worlds 20nm-45nm production capacity is in China as well.

So sure, they are limited to tech that is very 2018/2019. Not exactly ancient history.

 

[Vanderlindemedia]

No organisation replaces its servers with brand new stuff. You need months or perhaps years of validation that the platform works as intended and within what your doing with it.

Those sanctions just uphold nothing, other then China to reach advanced tech by themself and without the use of the western world really.

China will sooner or later have better products then the west. Just a matter of time.

 

[ThomasKinsley]

As astute commenters noted here Russia doesn't need the best, only what works good enough. Given that Intel and AMD are now in short supply, Russia will go about slowly building a viable semiconductor sector. In the short term it will require foreign assistance but in the long term they might make something work, even if it is out of necessity.

 

[Chung Leong]

Given the low number of chips involved, does it really matter what tech is used to manufacture it? Getting fewer chips per wafer wouldn't affect the overall cost much, since R&D would remain the dominant factor.

 

[ivan_vy]

No organisation replaces its servers with brand new stuff. You need months or perhaps years of validation that the platform works as intended and within what your doing with it.

Those sanctions just uphold nothing, other then China to reach advanced tech by themself and without the use of the western world really.

China will sooner or later have better products then the west. Just a matter of time.

don't need to be better , just have a good benefit-cost ratio ... and talking about countries with imposed restrictions to tech access, just take whatever is available.

 

[ivan_vy]

China will sooner or later have better products then the west. Just a matter of time.

take care of people accusing you of having a political agenda.😒

 

[ivan_vy]

As astute commenters noted here Russia doesn't need the best, only what works good enough. Given that Intel and AMD are now in short supply, Russia will go about slowly building a viable semiconductor sector. In the short term it will require foreign assistance but in the long term they might make something work, even if it is out of necessity.

software is the real challenge, look at how MooreThreads GPU endeavor went, amazing HW on paper marred with bad drivers and that hampered software performance.
edit:typo

 

[suryasans]

Putin's regime is very adept to get a workaround for sanctioned goods. Obviously, the only problem for Russia is its in house advanced packaging for its Chinese made chips. Russian chips size is in metrics.