New Supercomputer Launched
New Aix-la-Chapelle cluster (‘CLAIX-2023’) at JARA partner RWTH Aachen University

Supercomputers are becoming increasingly essential as complex challenges demand ever-greater computing power. Infrastructure must expand, especially for AI applications and simulations, now recognized as the third pillar of science alongside theory and experimentation.
With the newly established high-performance computing cluster CLAIX-2023, RWTH Aachen University provides its researchers with optimal resources for AI, simulation, and more. To celebrate the cluster's installation, Ina Brandes, Minister of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia, visited the university, noting, “CLAIX-2023 is a significant step forward for Germany’s research landscape.”
The sustainably cooled supercomputer is accessible to researchers at RWTH and across all German universities. Planning for the next supercomputer, CLAIX-2025, is already underway to meet the growing demand for computing power.
Technical Overview:
CLAIX-2023 is equipped with powerful Intel Xeon 8468 Sapphire Rapids CPUs, featuring 96 cores per compute node, and includes 52 specialized servers for AI and ML applications, each outfitted with four NVIDIA H100 GPUs. This configuration enables the system to deliver over 14 PFLOPS of performance in the ML segment. The system’s 632 directly water-cooled nodes for HPC provide a significant boost in overall capacity, supporting a wide range of applications while maintaining a strong focus on sustainability and energy efficiency. A large part of CLAIX-2023 is supported by NHR4CES (National High-Performance Computing Center for Computational Engineering Science), primarily aiding engineering and applied natural sciences. Another essential part of the system is provided by WestAI, the AI service center, and serves to promote machine learning. The exterior of the supercomputer was artistically designed by 3D artist Artur Krutov, blending technology and art as it was with its predecessor, CLAIX-2018.
Further information is available on the RWTH Aachen University website: https://www.rwth-aachen.de/cms/root/die-rwth/aktuell/pressemitteilungen/oktober-2024/~bkhfiy/neuer-supercomputer-an-der-rwth-eingewei/?lidx=1