IT PRO goes to the Hadron Collider

As everyone knows, computing and science go hand in hand, and this relationship is epitomised at the CERN research facility, where the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is run.

The results of the LHC experiment will give us a deeper understanding of the universe and physicists across the world are awaiting outcomes that could provide incredible scientific breakthroughs.

Of course, to analyse the data from the project, huge computing power is needed along with a widespread collaborative effort.

IT PRO was lucky enough to visit the CERN complex and see how far this exciting enterprise has come.

Into the clouds

The main reason we were in Switzerland was for a range of Intel cloud announcements the launch of the chip maker's Cloud 2015 vision, the introduction of an Open Data Centre Alliance and an expansion of the Cloud Builders project.

Above is the Globe of Science and Innovation, where all the announcements were made. Below is what the inside of the impressive 27m-tall globe structure looks like from within, and Sergio Bertolucci, director for research and scientific computing at CERN, outlining the incredible task being undertaken.

"In terms of scientific challenge the LHC challenge is probably the biggest that man has ever encountered till now. It is bigger than sending a man to the moon," Bertolucci told delegates.

The central purpose of the LHC is to smash two beams of particles together at four separate points (ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb), recreating the conditions that existed a fraction of a second following the Big Bang.

Bertolucci discussed the effectiveness of the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid in helping analyse the data collected at ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb. Thus far, five petabytes of data has been recorded and information is being produced at 70 terabytes a day.

There are four major partners helping CERN in its computing efforts and thereby helping influence the course of mankind: Intel, HP, Oracle and Siemens. Each provide their own expertise, but in return the tech giants get to learn from the project and so alter and improve their own products.