AlphaCluster
The PSC’s AlphaCluster was a collection of DEC Alpha workstations that offered a supercomputing class resource. With its ability to execute both single- threaded and distributed codes, the Cluster complemented the PSC’s Cray C90 vector machine and massively parallel Cray T3D. Applications suited to a single high performance scalar machine, or to a loosely coupled set of such machines, were good candidates for the AlphaCluster.
The Cluster was decommisioned in 1998.
Research
Zeroing in on Smog
Ted Russell, Michelle Bergin and Erik Riedel, Carnegie Mellon University
Across the U.S., cities are working to comply with the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone. Ozone levels relate directly to the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOC) dumped into the air by human activity ranging from drycleaning to transportation to aerosol sprays. Russell and his fellow researchers used the AlphaCluster to design scales to help cities target the worst VOCs. Their results show how to save tens of millions of dollars while achieving VOC reduction as good or better than current practices.