How powerful machines are providing a digital window into the most complex systems in our universe
Stars
Blood Flow
Hurricanes
Vehicles
Supercomputers have moved beyond abstract number-crunching to become foundational tools for discovery. By applying the laws of physics through complex mathematical models, they allow us to conduct "virtual experiments" that would be impossible, too dangerous, or prohibitively expensive in the real world 3 5 .
The common thread is scale and complexity. Whether modeling turbulent plasma between stars or turbulent blood flow through arteries, these systems involve countless interacting parts. Supercomputers manage this by dividing the problem into millions of tiny virtual cubes, calculating the physics within each one, and seamlessly stitching the results together into a dynamic, evolving simulation 3 5 .
Researchers construct a detailed 3D map of every artery 1mm or wider from full-body CT and MRI scans 3 .
The 3D mesh is transferred to a supercomputer with 1.6 million processors to apply fluid dynamics laws 3 .
A 3D-printed replica of the aorta validates the simulation with nearly perfect flow pattern matching 3 .
The success of Harvey opens up transformative possibilities for medicine. Its ability to create highly accurate, personalized models of a patient's vasculature is the foundation for building "digital twins"—virtual copies of an individual's biological systems 7 .
Planning stent placements and other vascular surgeries with non-invasive testing of different procedures 3 7 .
Virtual testing of device designs like stents and valves before clinical trials 7 .
Future goal of simulating the spread of cancer cells through the bloodstream 3 .
Integrating wearable device data to simulate an individual's circulatory state over time 7 .
Building and running massive simulations requires a powerful arsenal of digital and physical tools
Applications of supercomputing extend far beyond medicine, revolutionizing our understanding of natural forces and the cosmos
At TACC, supercomputers run the ADCIRC model to predict hurricane storm surge, revolutionizing forecasting with higher resolution that resolves critical features like floodplains 2 .
Dr. Leigh Orf simulates the birth of super tornadoes within thunderstorms, revealing how invisible, swirling vortices combine to form violent tornadoes .
Professor Lucio Mayer uses GPU-powered code on LUMI to model star formation within giant molecular clouds, running simulations a thousand times faster than before 8 .
Researchers simulate turbulent, magnetized clouds of gas between stars to understand how weak magnetic fields shape galaxies and influence star birth 5 .
Supercomputers model tsunami wave propagation and earthquake risk assessment to improve disaster preparedness and response 9 .
The next frontier is the fusion of supercomputing with artificial intelligence
Researchers are using machine learning to analyze enormous datasets and create faster, "smarter" models. Hurricane researchers are testing if AI can provide equally accurate forecasts faster and at lower computational cost 2 .
As supercomputers grow more powerful, simulations will achieve unprecedented resolution and scale. Dr. Randles looks forward to simulating not just blood flow, but the movement of every individual blood cell 3 .
Supercomputing simulation capabilities - current state vs. future potential