Scientists are fighting back against COVID-19 with the help of supercomputers. Using the Frontera supercomputer project, researchers are developing a coronavirus model to learn more about its effect on the body. This research could help scientists develop a treatment for the disease.
With an accurate simulation, scientists could test how the virus reacts under various circumstances. The model would have to include how every atom interacts with each other to be accurate. That’s a challenging prospect, considering there may be as many as 200 million atoms involved.
Between March 12 and 13, researchers ran the initial simulations on Frontera. These simulations, which are just a fraction of what the final model will be, ran on more than 200,000 processing cores. This kind of processing power would be impossible without a computer like Frontera.
The Frontera Supercomputer
The Frontera supercomputer, located at the University of Texas, is the 5th most powerful computer in the world. The National Science Foundation (NSF) granted the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) $60 million to build Frontera in 2018. When researchers from the University of California began this coronavirus project, they immediately turned to Frontera.
Even on a supercomputer like Frontera, these simulations are challenging. To account for the sheer size of the necessary calculations, the research team isn’t running everything at once. Instead, they’re taking a step-by-step approach to eventually create a complete, accurate model of the virus.
The March 12-13 tests are the first steps to building a functional simulation. These first few tests involve making and refining models of the individual components of the larger end model. When all of these parts are stable, scientists can run them together to get a full picture of COVID-19 and how it behaves.
This process is an advanced form of data visualization, a fairly common practice. Many businesses use data visualization to understand their data better and make informed decisions. Similarly, these researchers are using Frontera to visualize the coronavirus’s behavior and make decisions about its treatment and containment.
Supercomputers in the Fight Against COVID-19
Frontera isn’t the only supercomputer scientists are using to fight the coronavirus. It’s not the only one making significant strides in coronavirus research, either. IBM‘s Summit, the world’s fastest supercomputer, recently found chemicals that might slow the spread of the virus.
Summit, a cooperative project between IBM and the Department of Energy, can run 200 quadrillion calculations a second. Researchers have previously used it to find cell patterns connected with Alzheimer’s and drug addiction. This time, they ran simulations on how COVID-19 reacts to 8,000 different compounds, finding 77 that slowed the virus down.
One or more of these 77 chemicals could be the key to treating COVID-19. As researchers run more simulations and refine their process, more precise data will begin to emerge. In the meantime, the success of this Summit project has spurred a wave of supercomputer use in coronavirus research.
On Sunday, March 22, IBM announced a coronavirus research project in partnership with the White House. The project aims to allow more scientists access to supercomputers like Summit and Frontera to enable faster, more accurate research. Supercomputers from Amazon, Google, Microsoft and several universities and labs are also involved in the project.
Next Steps in Coronavirus Research
Simulations like the recent Summit one will be more accurate with improved coronavirus models. The finished model from the Frontera project will enable these supercomputers to run more reliable tests. With these enhanced simulations will come better information on how to treat the virus.
The next steps in COVID-19 research involve increased collaboration. If institutions and companies across the country work together, sharing resources and findings, scientists will be able to find a treatment or cure faster. The White House-sponsored IBM project, dubbed the COVID-19 High-Performance Computing Consortium, is an encouraging example of this kind of collaboration.
The full effects of this project and similar efforts have yet to be seen, but early tests show promising results. The fact that Summit could identify 77 potential virus-slowing compounds in such a short time is impressive. Similarly, the Frontera simulations present a lot of potential.
Researchers and establishments from both the public and private sectors are coming together to fight COVID-19. With the vast potential of supercomputers, it may not be long before they learn how to stop the disease.
