Summary of Brasil amplia capacidade de supercomputação científica | Brasil com Ciência

00:00:00 - 00:50:00

In the "Brasil Amplia Capacidade de Supercomputação Científica" YouTube video, the focus shifts to the advancement of supercomputing in Brazil, with a 300 million investment expected to increase the country's supercomputational capacity significantly by the next year. The video highlights various science projects, including a unique bioplastic project by first-year students at the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA), where they used techniques from cooking to create bioplastic from cellulose. The video also discusses Brazil's lag in producing biojet fuel from waste products like cooking oil and coffee grounds and the acquisition of a new supercomputer , Santos Dumon, for the Institute of Mathematics and Statistics (IMP), which will increase the country's computational capacity and benefit researchers. The new supercomputer will have a capacity of 25 petaflops after the investment, and the IMP is also planning to install a solar power plant to reduce operational costs. The video emphasizes the importance of hands-on learning and collaboration in fostering problem-solving skills and academic success.

• 00:00:00 In this section of the "Brasil con Ciência" program, the focus is on the advancement of supercomputing in Brazil, with investments of 300 million expected to increase the country's supercomputational capacity by the next year. Before delving into the current developments, the audience is introduced to a research project by first-year students at the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA). One of these students, Mateus, and his team chose to work on a bioplastic project due to their interest in creating something biodegradable. Their professor, a chemistry teacher with an unconventional background in gastronomy, provided valuable insights and techniques from his experience in the kitchen. The team applied these concepts to the laboratory, using techniques like gelification and the use of comuta, a fermented tea, to create bioplastic from cellulose. The chemistry of cooking was seen as an extension of traditional chemistry, and the team's success in creating bioplastic was showcased through the fermented beverage known as cambucha.
• 00:05:00 In this section of the "Brasil Amplia Capacidade de Supercomputação Científica" YouTube video, a professor discusses a unique science project where students create a protective film from tea leaves. The film is formed during the fermentation process, and the bacteria in the tea produce a cellulose film that can be used in plastics. The dried leaves are then ground into a powder and added to the plastic solution during manufacturing. This method, which has been used for 10 years in the laboratory, allows students to choose their project themes and work independently, fostering problem-solving skills and teamwork. The projects can even extend beyond undergraduate studies and lead to advanced research. The professor expresses surprise that such an engaging project can come from first-year students and highlights the importance of hands-on learning in fostering personal growth and academic success.
• 00:10:00 In this section, a group of students talked about their experience working on biodegradable plastics, particularly facing challenges in formulating the plastic due to lack of experience with bioplastics. They had to consult literature and conduct various tests and adaptations over six months to create the final formulation using cellulose as a reinforcement. The project aimed to develop competitive bioplastics to help preserve the environment by utilizing materials like potato starch and bacterial cellulose. Additionally, a student discussed their master's research on producing biodiesel from used cooking oil using activated charcoal from coffee grounds as a purifier, highlighting the importance of pre-treating the oil to avoid producing soap instead of biodiesel. The potential for future students to continue these projects was emphasized as a way to further advancements in sustainable technologies.
• 00:15:00 In this section of the "Brasil amplia capacidade de supercomputação científica" YouTube video, the speaker discusses Brazil's lag behind Europe in producing biojet fuel from used cooking oil and the potential of reusing waste products like coffee grounds and eggshells for biojet fuel production. The speaker expresses the desire for Brazil to catch up technologically and reduce waste by reutilizing these resources in a technological way. The video then shifts to the topic of Brazil's investment in a new supercomputer for the Institute of Mathematics and Statistics (IMP), which will increase the country's computational capacity and benefit researchers demanding high-performance computing. The supercomputer Santos Dumon, currently one of only five in Latin America to appear on the top 500 list of the world's supercomputers, will have a capacity of 25 petaflops after the investment, five times the current capacity.
• 00:20:00 In this section, it is highlighted that the CPTEC's supercomputer Tupan, in Cachoeira Paulista, has been in use since 2019 even though it was supposed to have been replaced in 2015, with its current functionality limited to running some systems and research at the institute. To address the need for an upgrade, the IMP has acquired a new supercomputer for R$200 million, using resources released from the National Fund for Scientific Development. The IMP is currently in the process of acquiring and installing this new supercomputer, part of a larger project named Risk that involves modernizing the entire supercomputing system at the institute. Dr. Ivan Márcio Barbosa, the coordinator of data infrastructure and supercomputing at the IMP, explains the project's seven goals, including upgrading the supercomputer, data storage, electrical infrastructure, solar power generation, and developing a new numerical weather and climate prediction model, emphasizing the significant benefits this modernization will bring to Brazilian society.
• 00:25:00 In this section of the "Brasil Amplia Capacidade de Supercomputação Científica" YouTube video, the speakers discuss the complexities involved in acquiring a new supercomputing system for the Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas (IMP). The system requires specific types of refrigeration and is based on CPU processors, which influenced the decision to purchase a CPU-based machine. The acquisition process considered various factors, including the type of refrigeration, installation location, and the weight of each component. The speakers also mention the need for electrical infrastructure upgrades and the acquisition of a 5 MW substation. Additionally, IMP is planning to install a solar power plant to reduce operational costs and reinvest the savings in more storage systems, servers, and supercomputing equipment.
• 00:30:00 In this section, the focus is on the development of a new cutting-edge Brazilian mathematical model called monan, which aims to revolutionize numerical weather and climate prediction. Alongside the initiative to acquire a new supercomputer, the project involves collaboration with various national universities and institutes to create a community-based model. This long-term project, with a 10-year timeframe, seeks to position Brazil at the forefront of scientific knowledge in climate prediction. The first phase involves defining the atmospheric component, with plans to validate and implement it by the end of the year to inaugurate the new supercomputer. Subsequent phases will address oceanic, sea ice, and surface components, gradually leading towards seasonal climate prediction and ultimately climate change modeling on a decadal scale. Despite delays in the bidding process, the project remains on track with a focus on aligning the model's components harmoniously for accurate predictions.
• 00:35:00 In this section of the "Brasil Amplia Capacidade de Supercomputação Científica" YouTube video, the speaker discusses the acquisition process for a new supercomputer model for the Brazilian Institute of Space Research (IMP). The team is currently in the planning stage and has not yet begun the bidding process. The equipment acquisition includes not only the supercomputer itself but also necessary improvements and modernizations. The team will follow a complex bidding process, which includes identifying potential suppliers, evaluating their proposals against mandatory and desirable requirements, and selecting the most competitive bidder. The team is considering a centralized CPU-based architecture for the supercomputer, with the possibility of adding a hybrid CPU-GPU system or expanding the current solution in the future. The choice of architecture depends on the evolving technology of supercomputing and the need for fast data communication networks. The team aims to find a solution that meets IMP's needs for improving numerical predictions of time and climate while managing its growing data archive.
• 00:40:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of the Santos Dumon supercomputer in Brazil's scientific community, which has supported over 280 projects since 2016, resulting in over 460 articles in national and international journals, 30 books and book chapters, 100 master's dissertations, 85 doctoral theses, and 10 patent deposits. The speaker highlights the high-quality research produced by these projects, with publications in renowned international journals like Nature and Science. The aerospace industry has particularly benefited from the supercomputer's capabilities, with a project from Unicamp and collaborators investigating aeroacoustic noise generated by aircraft. The Santos Dumon supercomputer has also played a crucial role in research related to COVID-19, with a call for projects resulting in over 15 projects being implemented to study potential treatments, vaccines, and the impact of social isolation on combating the pandemic. The rapid release of these projects was possible due to the agility of the project committee and the technical team's involvement in making the National Computational Science Laboratory's resources available. The new supercomputer being procured will have a capacity of around 1.2 to 1.5 petaflops in its initial phase, depending on the proposals received from vendors. The use of the machine will determine its specific petaflop or teraflop capacity.
• 00:45:00 In this section, the speaker explains that the supercomputing system in Brazil was designed to meet the specific needs of meteorology in the country, ensuring that the system can effectively run meteorological models. The center handles a large amount of data including satellite images, deforestation data, and weather forecasts, necessitating a robust data storage infrastructure to manage this information efficiently. The recent restructuring of the institution has centralized the IT resources, leading to improved cost efficiency and international-class infrastructure to serve a variety of users' computing needs, reflecting a positive impact on the institution's projects and programs.
• 00:50:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the benefits of the new scientific supercomputing infrastructure in Brazil, highlighting how researchers no longer need to worry about basic issues such as procurement processes and energy supply, allowing them to focus solely on their research. The migration of projects to this new infrastructure, provided by IMP, has already shown positive results with projects like weather forecasting being successfully transferred. The speaker also mentions plans to create a Cloud system at IMP to further enhance user capabilities, emphasizing the efficiency of the system which now allows researchers to access required computing resources in just 30 minutes instead of going through lengthy procurement processes. These improvements aim to advance science in the country, with upcoming projects like a geospatial data center being planned to better serve users.