LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY
KEY FACILITIES
Strategic Computing Complex
LANL is one of three labs, including Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) and Sandia National Laboratories, working on the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) Advanced Simulation and Computing Program (ASC). Established in 1995, ASC facilitates the shift from test-based to simulation-based confidence to ensure the safety and reliability of the nuclear weapons stockpile.
LANL facilities supporting ASC:
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The Strategic Computing Complex, construction of which was completed in 2002, houses the Nicholas Metropolis Center for Modeling and Simulation, which was dedicated in May 2002. It is a 303,000-square-foot center located at TA-3. It holds the Q computer and the following facilities.
LANL Cave Facility, also called La Cueva Grande (the big cave), is a five-surface 15-foot by 12-foot by 10-foot display, including the left, front, and right walls; the floor; and the ceiling; with 33 projectors creating a virtual three-dimensional environment. The facility has been used to design, manufacture, and assemble complex mechanical models, such as the Reliable Replacement Warhead model. It allows virtual analysis on complex models before they are built, which allows for the early identification of conflicts, alternative approaches, and optimizations.
The High-Performance Systems Integration Group (HPC-5) RAVE immersive visualization theater is used to evaluate Computer Aided Design models of glove boxes without building a mock-up. It uses the Pick-n-Place software it developed.
The Roadrunner supercomputer, which on May 27, 2008, ran twice as fast the first-ranked system on the TOP500 list, is set to be moved to LANL in July 2008. The first computing applications are expected to begin in January 2009.
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