Sequoia, an IBM BlueGene/Q supercomputer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), ranked No. 1 on the June 2012 TOP500 list. It was the first U.S. system to take the top spot since November 2009. TOP500 measured that standing by the Linpack benchmark: Sequoia’s reported result was 16,324.75 TFlop/s, or about 16.32 petaflop/s. Its lead lasted until Oak Ridge’s Titan became No. 1 in November 2012.
What the June 2012 TOP500 result meant
The June 2012 ranking was the 39th edition of TOP500, a list compiled twice a year. It placed Sequoia first, Fujitsu’s K Computer second and Argonne National Laboratory’s Mira third. The ranking was based on the systems’ reported Linpack performance; it was not a universal measure of scientific usefulness, reliability, or overall computing capability. TOP500’s June 2012 announcement described Sequoia’s result as 16.32 petaflop/s.
The precise values in the list distinguish measured benchmark performance from theoretical peak performance:
| June 2012 system | Rank | Rmax (Linpack) | Rpeak | Cores | Listed power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sequoia | No. 1 | 16,324.75 TFlop/s | 20,132.66 TFlop/s | 1,572,864 | 7,890 kW |
| K Computer | No. 2 | 10,510.00 TFlop/s | Not stated in the cited comparison | 705,024 | 12,660 kW |
| Mira | No. 3 | Not stated in the cited comparison | Not stated in the cited comparison | Not stated in the cited comparison | Not stated in the cited comparison |
Values are those recorded in the June 2012 TOP500 table; the comparison source notes only the listed values shown for K Computer and does not provide Mira’s figures here. Rmax is the reported Linpack result. Rpeak is the listed peak figure, not another measured Linpack result. The list’s power column is a power figure; it does not by itself establish annual energy use, operating cost, or energy efficiency.
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What Sequoia was built to do
Sequoia was an IBM BlueGene/Q system installed at LLNL for institutional high-performance computing, not a consumer supercomputer. It was dedicated to the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration’s Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) program, which supports stewardship of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile through work involving LLNL, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories.
TOP500’s Sequoia system profile describes a primarily water-cooled installation with 96 racks, 98,304 compute nodes and 1.6 petabytes of memory. The profile rounds the core count to approximately 1.6 million; the June ranking gives the exact figure of 1,572,864.
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How long Sequoia held No. 1
LLNL announced the June ranking on June 18, 2012, after it was unveiled at the International Supercomputing Conference in Hamburg. Sequoia remained the June list’s leader until TOP500 published its November 2012 ranking, which put Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Titan in first place. By the June 2013 list, Sequoia ranked third behind Tianhe-2 and Titan.
LLNL later reported that Sequoia had completed its transition to classified computing in support of the Stockpile Stewardship Program. LLNL also said the machine had topped Graph500, a separate ranking focused on large-scale data analysis. That Graph500 result is distinct from Sequoia’s TOP500 Linpack result and should not be treated as the basis for its June 2012 No. 1 position.
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Sources and dated rankings
- TOP500’s June 2012 list records the rank and system figures.
- TOP500’s June 2012 announcement identifies the edition and summarizes the Linpack result.
- LLNL’s June 18, 2012 announcement reports the ranking and conference announcement.
- TOP500’s Sequoia profile describes the system configuration and mission.
- TOP500’s November 2012 list announcement records Titan’s move to No. 1.
- LLNL’s June 2013 report describes the later ranking with Sequoia in third place.
- LLNL’s account of Sequoia’s transition to classified work covers its later role and Graph500 result.
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