  SDSC gets $20M from NSF for new flash-based super  SDSC is
following up on its DASH experiment with a full-fledged system
for data-intensive computing supported by flash drives   The new
system, named “Gordon” (get it?), will use flash memory for high
data throughput and virtualization software from ScaleMP to
create large shared-memory “supernodes.” The system is being
built by Appro and will be installed in the mid-2011 timeframe.
The completed system will have 245 peak TFLOPS, 64 TB of RAM,
and 256 TB of flash memory.  “We are clearly excited about the
potential for Gordon,” said SDSC Interim Director Michael
Norman, who is also the project’s principal investigator. “This
HPC system will allow researchers to tackle a growing list of
critical ‘data-intensive’ problems. These include the analysis
of individual genomes to tailor drugs to specific patients, the
development of more accurate models to predict the impact of
earthquakes on buildings and other structures, and simulations
that offer greater insigh