A Global Perspective on Supercomputer Power Provisioning: Case Studies from United States and Europe

Jun 11, 2025·
Tapasya Patki
,
Barry Rountree
,
Torsten Wilde
,
Andrea Bartolini
,
Stephanie Brink
,
Esa Heiskanen
,
Sachin Idgunji
,
Matthias Maiterth
,
James Rogers
,
Ermal Rrapaj
,
Ralf Schneider
Woong Shin
Woong Shin
,
Kathleen Shoga
,
Christian Simmendinger
,
Nicholas J Wright
,
Zhengji Zhao
· 0 min read
Abstract
Electrical provisioning in high performance computing is transitioning from simple nameplate Thermal Design Power (TDP) models to more nuanced approaches based on expected electrical load. This paper captures current power provisioning strategies across six international supercomputing centers and seven systems, three of which (Lumi, Summit, Sierra) were in the top 10 of the Top500 list at the time of data collection. We present longitudinal and summary data of actual power consumption as well as a discussion of how each site approached the question of provisioning. We conclude with a discussion on future directions of hardware overprovisioning and its implications for machine and electrical utilization.
Type
Publication
ACM International Conference on Supercomputing 2025
HPC Energy Efficiency Operational Data Analytics High Performance Computing Summit Supercomputer
Woong Shin
Authors
Woong Shin
HPC Systems/Software/Data Engineer, Computer Systems Researcher