History

R&D and talent training in the field of high performance computing have always been a key area of UNN activities. In 1956, UNN (Gorky State University at that time) launched GIFTI computer, one of the first domestic mainframes. In 1963, USSR’s first ever Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics was established in the university with a mission of training experts in computational mathematics and IT.

First academic publications in parallel computing appeared in the mid-1980s. Back then, theoretical research was carried out along with practical training of the university staff at the Technical University of Denmark, University of Calabria (Italy), University of Trier (Germany), etc.

In 1995, sponsored by the mayor of Nizhni Novgorod, UNN acquired Parsytec PowerXplorer, a multiprocessor with the total performance of 320 Mflops.

In 1996,  the first training courses in parallel computing were launched.

In 2001, within the Academic Program, Intel presented UNN with a computing cluster including 44 processors with the total peak performance of 50 Gflops. Such performance (quite high at that time) made it possible for UNN to create the Computer Simulation Center based on Intel processor systems. In 2002, with the assistance of Intel, the Information Technologies Laboratory (ITLab) was launched — an innovative form of UNN cooperation with IT companies.

In 2002, the Interdisciplinary Supercomputing Center was opened in Nizhni Novgorod.

In 2005, thanks to the research results obtained by UNN in parallel programming, the university was recognized by Microsoft as one of the top 10 universities in the world in the field of high-performance computing. In 2006, supported by Microsoft, UNN created its High-Performance Computing Competence Center.

In 2006, as part of Education, a national priority project, a 128 dual-core processor cluster with the total peak performance of 3 Tflops was installed in UNN. The same year, UNN was awarded Intel Honorary Diploma for outstanding results in training of top IT experts.

In 2007, the Computer Simulation Center based on Intel processor systems was transformed into the Integrated Computer Research Center including the Center for Supercomputing Technologies.

In 2010, the cluster increased its capacity up to 17 Tflops.

In 2010, the Volga Research and Education Center for Supercomputing Technologies was created.

In 2012, two UNN key IT initiatives were implemented:

  • Training and Retraining of Professionals at IT Research and Training Centers Project in the Volga Federal District within the National Target Program for Education Development 2011-2015 launched by the Commission for Modernization and Technological Development of Russia’s Economy under the President of the Russian Federation. The project assumed involvement in creation and development of the national system providing national software development sector with talent, performing cost effective search, career guidance, selection, enhanced training, pre-vocational and vocational training of skilled software professionals. 165 gifted schoolchildren, 560 students and 1600 teachers successfully completed these training programs.
  • Creation of Supercomputing and Software Professionals Training System Project as part of the National Target Program for Education Development 2011-2015 launched by the Commission for Modernization and Technological Development of Russia’s Economy under the President of the Russian Federation, where UNN is a co-contractor with MSU as a principal contractor. Its goal is to participate in creation of the national talent training system in supercomputing and software. Within this project, the Volga Research and Education Center for Supercomputing Education was established, more than 500 specialists have completed training, 12 agreements on scientific and technological cooperation with the leading Russian and international institutions and IT companies have been signed.

In 2014, UNN launched Lobachevsky, a computational cluster with the peak performance of 570 Tflops.

In total, since 1995 UNN’s computing resource performance has grown more than 1.5 million-fold which is far ahead of the well-known Moore’s law in terms of hardware evolution dynamics.