Intel Spinout's Chips Power U.S. Nuclear Weapons Simulations

Cornelis, a technology company that originated as a spinout from Intel, has announced a significant achievement: its networking chips are now integrated into a U.S. supercomputer vital for nuclear weapons research.

This advanced system is employed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, one of three national laboratories under the National Nuclear Security Administration dedicated to maintaining the nation's nuclear arsenal. The laboratory has incorporated Cornelis chips to connect 952 computers within its newly established "Lynx" system.

The "Lynx" system represents a $70 million initiative across these labs, focused on constructing powerful supercomputers using readily available industry components. Cornelis's Omni-Path networking technology is designed to compete with established players like Nvidia and Broadcom in scenarios requiring the distribution of massive computing problems across numerous machines.

A key feature of Cornelis's technology is its sophisticated traffic routing, which can intelligently direct data to less congested, even if more distant, computers to optimize performance. This innovation is crucial for the demanding computational tasks performed by the supercomputer.