CARC team gears up for SC24 Competition

By Mariah Rosales

As the 2024 Supercomputing Conference (SC24) approaches, the University of New Mexico’s Center for Advanced Research Computing (CARC) is in full preparation mode. This year, a team of five seniors and one junior is set to compete in Atlanta, Georgia this November, showcasing their expertise in high-performance computing (HPC).

Leading the team is returning SC23 competitor Ryan Scherbarth, joined by seniors Molly Palko, Xavier Barr, Sumaya Houssini Mohamed, Reece Ransby, and junior Saskia Trefethen. Most team members have participated in various HPC competitions over the past year, equipping them for the challenges they will face.

The SC24 competition unfolds over three days, but preparation began long ago for the team. For the competition, the teams receive a combination of known and mystery benchmarks to tackle. Familiar benchmarks like HPL, often a staple in HPC competitions, and MLPerf, which focuses on machine learning, are central to their strategy. New challenges such as NAMD add an extra layer of complexity. Working at CARC has provided the team with valuable insights and hands-on experience with these applications.

This year’s competition features a unique opportunity for collaboration with hardware sponsors, allowing the team to customize their computing cluster for optimal performance. With support from Dell, Penguin Solutions, and Intersect360, they built a cluster consisting of three nodes, each equipped with four NVIDIA H100 NVL accelerators. This setup aligns with the competition’s technical requirements and underscores the increasing significance of AI and machine learning in the field.

The competition begins with the assembly of their cluster, followed by a critical 24-hour benchmarking phase. After submitting their scores, they transition to running applications for the subsequent 48 hours. “The adrenaline during those first hours is intense, but it’s also a great opportunity to see how well our preparation pays off,” said Sumaya Houssini Mohamed.

For many team members, SC24 is not just a competition; it is an opportunity to engage with industry professionals and explore potential career paths in a dynamic field. “This experience is invaluable. It allows us to network and gain insights from experts that can help shape our futures,” noted Xavier Barr.

The team’s journey began in Spring 2023, and they have since seen substantial growth and increased interest in HPC at UNM. From a small group, they have expanded to include more members and multiple competitions, enabling students to develop essential skills in Linux systems and command-line operations. “When I started, I had little exposure to HPC, but now I feel well-prepared to tackle complex problems. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come,” said Molly Palko.

As they prepared to travel to SC24, the team focused on demonstrating their capabilities and contributing to the evolving landscape of high-performance computing. “This competition is a culmination of our hard work, and I’m excited to see how we measure up against other top teams,” reflected team leader Ryan Scherbarth.