NVIDIA Tech-Based DOE Supercomputer Helps Geologists Study Earth’s Seismic Behavior

A Department of Energy supercomputer utilizing NVIDIA’s graphics processing units has enabled Princeton University scientists to research seismic phenomena with the aim of learning more about earthquake risks.

NVIDIA said Monday the Summit supercomputer at DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee utilizes 27K of the company’s V100 Tensor Core GPUs and NVLink technology to help researchers construct 3D simulations of the Earth’s interior as part of their studies into earthquakes.

The research team uses the 3D models and collated data from 1.5K earthquakes around the world to develop assessments and potentially predict seismic behavior.

“It’s not inconceivable that at some point we can train a deep learning neural network to actually simulate, or predict, seismographs,” noted Jeroen Tromp, head of the research effort.

Tromp’s team intends to eventually utilize the GPU-run supercomputer to process simulations based on currently accessible data for around 6K earthquakes.