NERSCPowering Scientific Discovery Since 1974

Urbanization + Pollution = More Storm Activity Around Cities

Simulations run at NERSC have revealed that urban land use and anthropogenic aerosols work together to increase storm development, strength, and precipitation intensity around cities. » Read More

Stars Align for Scientists Modeling Supernovae

For more than 60 years, physicists have been studying the question of how supernova explosions occur. Thanks to the increasing power of supercomputing resources such as those at NERSC, they’re moving ever closer to an answer. » Read More

Measurements of Pulsar Accelerations Reveal Milky Way’s Dark Side

Researchers using NERSC supercomputers have obtained the first direct measurement of the average stellar acceleration taking place within our home galaxy, the Milky Way. » Read More

NERSC Supports COVID-19 Pandemic Response

NERSC is providing up to 2.5 million supercomputing hours and dedicated staff liaisons to support of 20 projects aimed at combating COVID-19. » Read More

Spectacular ultraviolet flash may finally explain how white dwarfs explode

For just the second time ever, astrophysicists have spotted a spectacular flash of ultraviolet light in a supernova, an extremely rare event following a white dwarf explosion. Using NERSC supercomputers, Berkeley Lab's Abigail Polin may have an explanation for what caused this explosion. » Read More

3D Simulations Reveal Physics of Superluminous Supernovae

For the first time ever, an international team of astrophysicists simulated the 3D physics of superluminous supernovae—which are about a hundred times more luminous than typical supernovae—with NERSC supercomputers. » Read More

National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center

Computing at NERSC

NERSC Supports COVID-19 Research

Model of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus
NERSC is participating in the COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium. This unique private-public effort brings together federal government, industry, and academic leaders to volunteer free compute time and resources on their world-class machines. NERSC has initially set aside up to 1.25 million node hours on its Cori supercomputer in support of this effort. In addition, NERSC's HPC experts are available to assist research teams. Scientists are invited to submit COVID-19 related research proposals, from which an expert panel of top scientists and computing researchers will select projects based on public health benefits, with an emphasis on rapid results.

Learn more about projects using NERSC that are involved in COVID-19 related research.

Now Playing

A small sample of jobs running on NERSC supercomputers right now.

Project System Nodes Core Hours Used
Quantum Chromodynamics with four flavors of dynamical quarks
 High Energy Physics
 PI: Doug Toussaint, University of Arizona
Cori 1,936
Climate Change Simulations with CESM: Moderate and High Resolution Studies
 Biological & Environmental Research
 PI: Gerald Meehl, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
Cori 945
A new approach to the interacting phonon problem
 Basic Energy Sciences
 PI: Chris Marianetti, Columbia University
Cori 240
Particle acceleration in astrophysical collisionless shocks
 Nuclear Physics
 PI: Jonathan Arons, University of California Berkeley
Cori 215
Detector Simulation of the ATLAS Detector on NERSC HPCs
 High Energy Physics
 PI: Paolo Calafiura, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Cori 200
First-Principles Catalyst Design for Environmentally Benign Energy Production
 Basic Energy Sciences
 PI: Manos Mavrikakis, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Cori 140

'Bubbles' the Cray-2

NERSC's Cray2 nicknamed 'Bubbles'

In 1985, NERSC was the first to install the Cray-2, then the fastest computer in the world. Today, just about any mobile phone has more processing power. The Cray-2 was nicknamed "Bubbles" for its unique liquid cooling system.