Georgia Tech receives $20M to build AI-integrated Nexus supercomputer

Georgia Tech has received a $20 million federal grant to build Nexus, a new supercomputer designed to integrate high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and visualization capabilities into a single system. The supercomputer aims to make advanced computing more accessible for researchers nationwide and could lead to breakthroughs in quantum materials design and brain research.

What makes Nexus unique: Unlike traditional supercomputers that require researchers to jump between different machines for different tasks, Nexus will provide multiple computing capabilities in one integrated system.

• “What is unique about Nexus is that it is going to be designed to provide high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, data analytics and visualization, all of these capabilities in a single system so that researchers don’t have to jump from machine to machine,” said Srinivas Aluru, senior associate dean in Georgia Tech’s College of Computing.
• The system will also feature easier user interface software designed specifically for supercomputers.

The technical specs: Nexus will be a massive computing powerhouse with storage capacity that defies easy comprehension.

• The supercomputer will have 10 quadrillion bytes of permanent storage, equivalent to about 10 billion reams of paper that, if stacked, would stretch to the moon and a third of the way back to Earth.
• The system will be approximately the size of 12 refrigerators grouped together and consume as much electricity as a thousand average-sized homes.
• Construction will take place at the Coda data center at Tech Square, with completion expected by 2026.

Why this matters: The supercomputer represents a critical infrastructure investment as science enters a new era where AI becomes essential to discovery.

• “Science is entering a new era where AI is becoming essential to discovery and is transforming how research is done. But to fully realize that potential, we need infrastructure that is built for this new model of science,” Aluru explained.
• Researchers hope Nexus can lead to scientific breakthroughs in designing quantum materials and better understanding how the human brain works.

Replacing aging infrastructure: Nexus will replace Georgia Tech’s current HIVE supercomputer, which has exceeded its typical five-year lifespan.

• The HIVE system came online more than five years ago and is now operating well beyond its useful life span, according to Aluru.
• The rapid pace of computing advancement means that today’s smartphone processors “are probably as powerful as the most powerful supercomputer was 25 years ago,” highlighting the need for regular infrastructure updates.

The bigger picture: Georgia Tech emphasizes that the true value of Nexus lies not in its impressive specifications but in the scientific discoveries it will enable.

• “With Nexus, we are essentially going to bridge the gap between the infrastructure and using it for scientific discovery,” Aluru said.
• The project reflects the university’s commitment to advancing research capabilities rather than pursuing computing power for its own sake.