First imagery of new hardware test configurations and planned rack configuration

2021/2/20

First benchmark runs and code development have started on small cluster prototypes with the new AGX Xavier development boards. Also, construction of the rack has started.

ICARUS2 under development

2020/8/2

Bright future ahead: We continue our mission to develop a sustainable data center for research, operation and academia by bringing a new hardware generation into play: The NVIDIA Jetson AGX Xavier comprises an AI-ready mobile Volta (V100) GPU that allows also to investigate methods in the realm of Machine Learning for Simulation.

Also: The new system comprises an even larger battery for more capabilities during night/winter! With a double-as-high power storage, ICARUS2 will be ready for more fierce tasks and its new hardware! The new battery rack has already been installed and will now be tested during spring.

Battery at full charge

2019/7/2

Due to the current sunny weather we can have recourse on a fully loaded battery already in the morning.

ICARUS moved into a new home

2018/5/24

Recently, the system has moved into a new home not far away from the old one. In this context, a new foundation for the solar panel had to be built. In Contrast the container with the compute-cluster inside could be transported as a whole, proving its mobility. Some more pictures and videos of the dismantling and reconstruction can be seen in the image-gallery.

ICARUS survives first night on battery

2016/3/18

After its installation in the solar-powered container and its connection to the insular power supply system, ICARUS was set up to be in 'ready'-mode this Thursday night, relying solely on its 8kWh battery supply after a full charge. The next morning, it turns out to survive a cold March night with no additional heating, staying at a modest average 20 degrees Celsius. The cluster (that is 55 out of 61 nodes - some are under maintenance - plus 5 switches and control hardware) drained only slightly above 300 W of power at all times. In addition, we had a 1kW heating module for the battery on-line (thermostat-controlled set up to hold the battery above 5 degrees Celsius in order to prevent damage). At first sunlight, the battery was discharged down to 40%. Next task: load battery, while in 'slight use mode' today, a very cloudy, cold and foggy day in Dortmund. The problem here is: can we load the battery while powering the cluster even on days with low sunlight harvest?

Battery charge status at lunchtime on 2016/3/18.

ICARUS installation in its new home

2016/3/17

The cluster has moved into its final housing and connected to the solar power system. First burn-in tests have been successful!

TU Dortmund is awarded GEC again

2016/3/15

We just received word that the TU Dortmund is again rewarded the title 'GPU Education Center' due to CUDA-related teaching activities of our institute. ICARUS has played a role in this, because of a student project that was built around it.

First test of the energy supply systems successful

2016/1/8

On a bright friday evening, a successful first test of the solar power supply and the battery system was conducted. Although half of the solar modules were shadowed (as the system is not winter-optimised) we were able to measure a nice 3kW for a short time.