Technology at the NAS Facility

The NAS Facility provides a full-spectrum supercomputing environment consisting of high-speed processors, mass storage, high performance networks, and visualization hardware and software. Each of the components listed below can be likened to an important piece of the supercomputing "puzzle."

Supercomputers
The type of research conducted at the NAS Facility requires ultra-fast computing speeds. Supercomputers can solve in minutes or hours the complex equations that would take months to solve with conventional computing methods.

High-Speed Networks
High-speed networks are critical pieces of the full-spectrum computing environment. At the NAS Facility, Local Area Networks experts are working to find new possibilities in the way data is computed, stored and shared. The Wide Area Networks give remote users access to a central supercomputing facility.

Mass Storage
The power to compute and analyze large datasets needs to be matched with the ability to store the results. Being able to safely archive these massive computations allows researchers to compare data from various tests.

Visualization & Data Analysis
Scientific visualization is a process for creating computer graphics and animations using advanced hardware and software. The NAS Facility's Data Analysis group provides products and techniques to help researchers analyze complex computational simulations and experimental wind tunnel data.

Software
System software is the "glue" that brings all the major pieces of our supercomputing environment together. Engineers at the NAS Facility are researching ways to optimize the interaction between these components.