Kay, the enigmatic supercomputer located in Ireland, created quite a buzz in the Dáil assembly this week. Taking on the alluring resonance of a contraption straight from a 007 film, Kay played an integral part in what is recognised as the heart of the fifth industrial revolution.
The University of Galway hosted this impressive hardware, which became operational in August of 2018. Right out of the gate, it propelled Ireland forward, enabling it to compete alongside leading international entities in high-performance computing (HPC), a field at the forefront of quantum computing, the IT world’s coveted achievement. It also opened doors to diving into new territories such as artificial intelligence and ‘deep learning’. The technology applied in systems like Kay facilitated the swift development of Covid-19 vaccines.
Kay also underpinned a spectrum of fresh research and development. It was christened in honour of Kay McNulty, (later known as Kathleen Antonelli) a pioneering programmer who played a role in the creation of the first digital, electronic, universal-purpose computer by the United States in 1945.
Born in 1921 in the Gaeltacht region of Feymore near Creeslough in County Donegal, McNulty’s father was arrested for his connection to republican actions during the War of Independence on the night she was born. Upon his release from jail after two years, he relocated his family to Philadelphia. McNulty graduated in 1942 with a maths degree and was hired as a human ‘computer’ at the University of Pennsylvania, contributing to the then-novel technology field.
In Galway, Kay was utilised to enhance many functionalities, like improving resolution in weather and climate predictions for Met Éireann and conducting extensive, long-term simulations for areas like medical device creation, nanotechnology (or the manipulation of minute atoms and molecules), genomics (gene mapping and engineering), and pharmaceutical design.
Kay also had the capability to simultaneously run different workflows that required significant computational power and colossal memory size. Various sectors, including academics, industry, governmental departments, and State agencies, used Kay to quickly tackle intricate issues ranging from transport system faults to environmental challenges and healthcare plans.
In November 2023, the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC) decommissioned a system due to the expiration of its warranty, sparking a political uproar over the importance of data and IT proficiency in preserving Ireland’s robust flow of overseas direct investment. Louise O’Reilly of Sinn Féin, the spokesperson for business, commerce, and work, vociferously criticised the government for the lag behind schedule in acquiring a replacement for the system, known as Kay, which risked obsolescence. Despite a three-year timeframe for the procurement of a new supercomputer, it still remains unclear when the acquisition process will commence.
The ICHEC made a recommendation to the Irish government in January 2022 for a substitute that the EU’s European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) would fund partly. Five destinations, including Ireland, were chosen by EuroHPC JU in June 2022 for housing the future generation of supercomputers. State funding was expected to contribute 65%, with the remaining 35% financed by the EU.
With all EU obstacles overcome, plans were in place for Ireland to obtain a supercomputer named CASPIr (Computational Analysis and Simulation Platform for Ireland). Despite the fact that the expected timetable has not been disclosed, CASPIr was projected to be up to 25 times more potent than Kay. The total cost, encompassing equipment and operational costs for a period of five years, could reach €65 million or could be as low as €19 million.
Last month in the Dáil, Minister Patrick O’Donovan, responsible for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, announced the initiation of an interim HPC service during the strategic assessment of HPC provision in the country. The ICHEC posted a tender in July 2023 for computing capabilities similar to those delivered by Kay, and the contract was awarded to LuxProvide, which operates MeluXina, Luxembourg’s supercomputer. This supercomputer forms part of the EU’s supercomputer network structure, and it is now accessible to Irish academics, supported by the ICHEC team, making it one of Europe’s most potent supercomputers.
All domestic projects run by ICHEC are scheduled to transition to the MeluXina system, a procedure that will be gradual and involve moving previously existing tasks from Kay. However, before Kay can be phased out, a comprehensive review of national HPC needs and a cost-effectiveness assessment of the variety of possibilities at our disposal must be carried out, stressed O’Donovan. He added that this review is mandatory given the unprecedented expenses of new HPC solutions which may necessitate a significant increase in treasury allocation and thorough due diligence to warrant this type of investment.
Stefano Sanvito, director of the Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructure and Nanodivices (CRANN) based in Trinity College, explains that a majority of their research involved using Kay due to its ample computational power which enabled them to simulate how materials interact to external factors. They specialised in creating material that could withstand immense temperatures and pressures. For example, Kay was used in collaboration with the German space agency, Airbus, and others to simulate conditions for spacecraft re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
However, Kay was beginning to lose its effectiveness as it neared the end of its functional life. Sanvito pointed out that compared with its European counterparts, it was less competitive, citing that a researcher in Finland had access to a computer 200 times more powerful, leaving them 200 times behind competitively.
Using the MeluXina supercomputer as a temporary solution is not ideal in his view as it demands a great deal of additional logistical work which includes bringing in new personnel and new architecture.
When it comes to usage, Kay served 600 researchers in 10 higher education establishments. However, ICHEC director, Prof Jean Christophe Desplat, emphasises that that Kay was more than just a tool for academics. Its primary function was to process data, serving as a key platform for backing AI.
Desplat wishes to convey to lawmakers that HPC is essential in forming future policies. He pointed out its impressive capability for running ‘what-if’ tests, such as assessing the transition to green technology and concurrently investigating ways to lessen its impact on farmers. He believes policymakers could significantly gain from this, asserting that it’s not a specialised platform.