Inside the awe-inspiring 'Aurora' supercomputer at Argonne National Lab

Think of computers as concerts. A single instrument can make a sound, but it takes an entire orchestra to make a symphony.
In a similar way, a single computer can make calculations, but thousands of computers, networked together, can make “mathematical music,” modeling the dynamics of the entire universe.
In this Cover Story, WGN's Mike Lowe explores the capabilities of one of the world's most powerful supercomputers, found in the western suburbs of Chicagoland.

[@westlydurkee6230]

As an IT pro that works with Computers and Networks all day, this report is brilliant and very accurate. It's refreshing to see a news reporter who is able to demonstrate a real understanding of the tech they're talking about.

[@HopelessAutistic]

not everyone is smart like you.

[@DeenaMilkers]

@@HopelessAutistic thats why we need good reporters to help explain it to the non smart people like us

[@swapice]

Brilliant. We need more videos like this

[@redwemette5942]

I used to go out to Argon National Labs in 1964, it was the highest security I ever saw. They had a small heard of White Deer. I never saw anything like it in my life.

[@Nicholas-f5]

Argonne, wow

[@DjHazardous]

Once research for Quantum computing is complete and is paired with this, the monster will be born

[@williamogilvie6909]

Very interesting tour of Argonne Laboratory.

[@Toby_Q]

I like how he's comparing these to Playstation 2's and XBOX 360's... in 2024. This guy has been building this for years, he hasn't come for air, he completely missed PS3-5 and all the Xbox's. Poor guy!

[@J_Patterns]

I was thinking the same thing! God bless him.

[@evadronealpha]

Immediately thought the same thing! Had to immediately check the date of the video.

[@technicalmachine1671]

PS2 is undefeated for controlling nuclear missiles.

[@kellymoses8566]

Sounds like a brilliant programmer I know who doesn't pay any attention to CPU development and still talks about Pentiums.

[@oldtimer2192]

It was a basic comparison guys! You know, several trillion times the power of mentioned beast a lot of us enjoyed! Go back to the 8 bit days if you don’t believe me. 😬😬😬

[@rk1356]

All of that knowledge and computing power and I still sit at red lights for minutes at a time with not a single soul moving thru the intersection. I’ll never understand it.

[@DirtyLilHobo]

In just ten years, we’ll look back and see that the ‘Aurora’ supercomputer has been eclipsed by groundbreaking advancements that we can hardly imagine today!

[@glennmorrissey5309]

I love that the orchestra was playing the Star Wars theme in the clip.

[@null7936]

"solve problems", engeneers head: "let's run doom first on it."

[@joe_hoeller_chicago]

That place is super cool if you go on a tour

[@DirtyLilHobo]

In the late sixties, the FAA Enroute Centers were equipped with an entire floor of IBM 360 computers three of which were tied together to create the IBM 9020. Thirty years later the last main frame took the place of an entire floor to a machine the size of a large refrigerator.

[@EmperorKagato]

But can it run Crysis?

[@rkr9861]

Rec specs for Crysis are a 7th gen i5 or better, 12GB RAM, and a GTX 1660 TI or better.

[@ConfidentialMeerkat]

r/whoosh.

[@alzeNL]

damn beat me to it - i scrolled down and laughed.

[@xanderplayz3446]

It can definitely run HL2.

[@BjarneLinetsky]

This computer is about the same size as vacuum tube technology computers from the 1950s. They drew hundreds of kilowatts of electricity and used tons of air conditioning. The computer and associated equipment occupied a whole floor in an office building. The miles of interconnecting wiring was laid under the floor plenums and ducts.

[@kellymoses8566]

A supercomputer transforms a compute bound problem into a communication bound problem.

[@Andrico77]

This will fit in your pocket in 20 years.

[@LuisDigitalTV]

For chating and watching memes.

[@keithsweat7513]

Pritzkers vision is finding a buffet stat! That fool had nothing to do with this

[@RodgerMudd]

Enslaving the world one bit at a time.

[@marksapollo]

It’s fascinating how supercomputers have moved from CPU’s to GPU’s as the main processors for the workload. Techno evolution for you I guess.

[@zeroonetime]

We have reached UNI-VERSE IN A SINGULARITY.

[@Rickiye]

Super cool

[@rayrocher6887]

Thanks musicians, great milifluous, nice Nintendo

[@شعرکوتاه-ع7ظ]

Supercomputers have a lot of processing power.

[@PeeedaPan]

everytime we get a supercomputer story they just say the same stuff...does this many calculations....will solve complex scientific problems....relate computing with some kind of art/music to make the story relatable without actually telling us what problems the computer has actually solved

[@RespectfullyCurious]

they literally said in the video they do traffic simulations, storm prediction analysis, protein structure analysis, natural disaster simulations, etc etc.

[@thefucrew9865]

​@@RespectfullyCurious, that guy must be a Liberal Democrat, waiting to be told what to think, say, and do, instead of experiencing any independent thought.

[@rkr9861]

Did you catch that this is at the Department of Energy? Mostly, the government uses them to simulate hydrogen bomb implosions. They squeeze other projects in during off-hours that handle fluid models for NOAA and NASA.

[@krisiluttinen]

It only solves the problems for the have-yachts.

[@thefucrew9865]

@@krisiluttinen , only because your brain is only using a half a cell. You can use a broken analog watch to solve all of your problems.

[@len9518]

A science fiction writer,, wrote a story about all the computers in the world, being connected together, in order to study the secrets of the universe. When the oriject was done, the first question to it, was "Is there a God?" The response was "There is now."

[@fxrisxmxli]

What we will never see, what they REALLY do with all that processing power.

[@BjarneLinetsky]

imagine a world. divide that world into 10,000 parts. Each processor simulates one part. Now run that world forward or backward in time. One billion times faster than real time.

[@wanderingfido]

They finally accomplish a system that can play Doom (from 1980s) without dropped frames. 😏

[@StoneyRerootkit]

They're Giving You a Number, And Taking Away Your Name😢😮🐍🦅

[@catkeys6911]

We've come a little way from the days of spinning tape reels, haven't we?

[@robertharker]

Feed the KZbin algorithm with a comment. Great video. Thanks!

[@ben_spiller]

3:51 Aurora doesn't use Nvidia GPUs

[@jeffsmith7369]

Cant get my head around it. How many Olympic swimming pools would this computer fill?

[@pancudowny]

Located just South of Darien on Cass Ave, via I-55.

[@jamesm8414]

they need 4 of these things just to handle Amazon returns for the holidays

[@RodgerMudd]

Said Xbox 360 how old is this video?

[@billr3053]

Gov. Pritzker “innovative economy… quantum and AI”, Just when credible scientists are dismantling much of their hype. Think boondoggle, pork-barreling, write-offs.

[@nyftn]

funny to see they had no budget left to get 8 numbers so they used tape instead lol

[@scratchdog2216]

Didn't dwell to long on power/cooling needs did they?

[@alzeNL]

But can it play crysis on maximum settings ?

[@MrTweetyhack]

It's not how big it is, it's how you use it

[@Kathy-e1w]

It will help Prikster find out how many meals he needs for 2025 to maintain his current weight. 😮

[@kakaeriko]

"Anyone in the world except if you are from Cuba, NorthKorea, Iran, Crimea, Sudan, Syria " (interestingly, Russia and China not in the barred list)

[@KarmaMechanic988]

maybe it can answer why we have two armpits but only one legpit?

[@TtheAlien]

if homeboy using a ps2 graphics card they are way outdated

[@danielsmith8773]

Very dangerous ground,we will regret this in the long run.

[@CrimsonSteelMoonTheWolf64]

How Vexing a choir of one might be. Doubt anyone will get the reference

[@DavidGalich77]

Where will technology take us in the future?

[@threadripper979]

AI self-awareness and the destruction of humanity. Well, you asked. ;-)

[@FatherGapon-gw6yo]

Ejat processor?

[@lanabyk8012]

Can the super computers create new life?

[@Jolly-Green-Steve]

This 10 exoflop cluster is nothing compared to Tesla's Colossus at 200 exoflops which will be scaled up to 500 exoflops in the next few months.

[@romeoC9968]

Fastest in the world...i doubt it....

[@waterlife.1905]

Will this super computer finally be the one that ushers in world peace? How smart do we meed to be to get along and stop war and making weapons. Lets make houses.

[@Jasona1976]

And love. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

[@tringuyen7519]

When humans can teach each other about compassion, kindness, & morality, then we can teach an AI the same. Until then, humans will teach the AI everything else!

[@krisiluttinen]

I think it will do exactly the opposite. Ident, track, reduce, eliminate, utopia!

[@apollo-r5z]

Networked virtual CPU logic streaming might create more compact supercomputers that use less power.

[@spankyharland9845]

whatever they do with Aurora- don't let it build cyborg robots.....

[@zeroonetime]

010 Infinity Squared.

[@kellymoses8566]

Musk is going to consider this wasteful and shut it down.

[@SkyFive-5]

I'll bet it took you several hours to come up with that stupid response.

[@StoneyRerootkit]

Because There Can Only Be One!!!😢😈💔🐙

[@TradieTrev]

I love how Americans always compare sizes to physical objects just to dumb it down lol.

[@samspade894]

Okay! what new discoveries are going to happen?

[@thefucrew9865]

They have already discovered a Billion things, in the time it took you to type that comment.

[@wanderingfido]

I'm guessing an AI GF with "real" emotions. 😏

[@NegativeROG]

I had no idea Pritzker was the size of Jabba the Hutt! More like JB the House!

[@LordAlchemist]

They show off the PS4 and 360 for GPU power, not regular GPU from pc.

[@AdamWolphe]

They’re relating it to wider audiences that way, or at least those who may be watching this news segment.

[@zeroonetime]

The collective minds of humanity I.S. the creative divine 010 Actions. Creation = Quantum Mechanics. (Infinity Squared). Michael Levin is right on. We live in a matrix of Realistic Illusions. 010

[@rayrocher6887]

Super Nerd computer, know it all tin box

[@Jasona1976]

No computer can solve humanity’s biggest problems. Greed avarice ignorance and war.

[@zeroonetime]

ALL I.S. downright to light and dark switching, all at 10nce T.E.N. dimensions ~ 010.

[@remogaggi82]

Ps2?

[@surgestrip]

likely the last time he gamed, won't hold it against him dude is busy

[@wallacegrommet3479]

But... can it play pong?

[@baomao7243]

Adding Pritzger at the end tanked the credibility of this video

[@jimfolkers4425]

Need the computer to take pritz job!

[@mannhimself]

About time they bring back laptops with full size DVI and Firewire ports.

[@NegativeROG]

Why DVI? Doesn't HDMI or DP do everything you need? Or is it just to use old monitors?

[@QueLastima]

Ok, the second half was much better. ---++--- I am familiar with computers. This video was distressingly vapid and uninformative. I've gotten halfway through it and even the simple analogies that they're using to explain concepts are completely wrong. A symphony has no architectural parallels to a supercomputer. And when that guy actually had a chunk of it on the table, and he was about to say something interesting, they dumbed it.

[@krisiluttinen]

In a nutshell they are building a global digital prison for all to enjoy!

[@daveoatway6126]

Looks small compared to Elon's!

[@embossed64]

They could be mining BITCOIN.

[@Robert-g6b6y]

I can't wait for elon musk, To add quantum entangled cubic sets For the mission to mars. For instantaneous communication! It's the only thing that may be cost effective? Doubtful !!! Maybe 1 second leg time for computation.. Instead of 40 minutes round trip. . Probably not though considering mars is very underwhelming.

[@CCRoselle]

Each evening the second shift of Bitcoin miners get to work...

[@CCRoselle]

BBC....Feb 9, 2018 - The suspects had tried to use one of Russia's most powerful supercomputers to mine Bitcoins, media reports say.

[@Jasona1976]

My MacBook is faster. 😂🎉❤

[@Nicholas-f5]

Don't worry, Trump will get rid of it

[@krisiluttinen]

To make room for the improved model!

[@johnnyfive1412]

What is a woman? Can that computer answer that question? Its in a blue state so probably not.

[@michaelanderson3096]

Crypto currency computer servers is what gives crypto currency its value.

[@krisiluttinen]

It can accurately predict and influence the departure of one's money.

[@A3Kr0n]

Consuming megawatts of power and producing little, if anything of value. IMO.

[@AdamWolphe]

Its predecessor helped make advancements in energy storage (battery technologies), and understanding viral morphology for medical research among many other things. This will continue that legacy, and then some.

[@WarHawk-]

What do 'ya mean? All that power produced a small heard of albino deer (they didn't mention the three sets of antlers that a couple of them had 🙄) /s/

[@nyftn]

so many people around that add nothing of value consume way more power combined .

[@WarHawk-]

@@nyftn - I still haven't been able to figure out how so many with so little brain power can waste so much energy doing so little.

[@thewombat4377]

Like a big waste of power and money. We got by just fine for thousands of years.

[@charliefoxtrot5001]

You are free to live like people used to thousands of years ago. Good luck! Start by getting rid of all electronics.

[@user-tz4nm5rv7g]

Skynet system core

[@J_Patterns]

Imagine using that to mine for Bitcoin!

[@NegativeROG]

Makes sense: $50,000,000 invested, probably more, just to get back $76,000? I like your math.

[@FatherGapon-gw6yo]

Or crack passwords

[@J_Patterns]

@@NegativeROG Your math is wrong. 0$ invested, it is free to use. All bitcoin would be profit.

[@Rickiye]

Some Russian nuclear scientists thought so too with their version and went ahead to try it 😁 Reported by BBC news in 2018. Result? Time in the locker.

[@charliefoxtrot5001]

You won't break even!

[@Kathy-e1w]

It will help Prikster find out how many meals he needs for 2025 to maintain his current weight. 😮