KIHEI, Maui, Hawaii -- Members of the U.S. Space Force’s Maui High Performance Computing Center officially unveiled the newest premier research asset in Hawaii: the Makau High-Performance Computer, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 7.
The Makau system was engineered specifically to deliver world-class high-performance computational capabilities to the Department of War science and technology test and evaluation communities, providing the necessary resources to efficiently solve the most demanding computational problems.
“The implementation of artificial intelligence provides Airmen and Guardians with rapid, actionable data analysis and course of action,” said Dr. Scott Pierce, MHPCC director. “Machine learning models can automate the fusing of multiple sources of data to build a timely and more cohesive operating picture.”
The supercomputer is a six-cabinet Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Cray XD2000 system utilizing liquid-cooled, rear-door heat exchangers. It is powered by 74 enterprise-grade graphics processing units and features 19.2 terabytes of usable memory.
Capable of reaching processing speeds of 2.64 peak peta floating-point operations per second, Makau is designed to operate in an era of exponential data growth and accelerate technological innovation.
“Historically, processing massive, highly complex datasets could take weeks, delaying critical decision-making processes when time was of the essence,” said John Marlia, MPHCC technical director. “By compressing data analysis timelines from weeks to seconds, Makau provides a definitive advantage, ensuring that our teams always have the right information precisely when they need it most.”
Locally, Makau will be instrumental in supporting the MHPCC’s three primary research focus areas: space domain awareness, cyber operations, and digital engineering and modeling, simulation and analysis.
Bringing this advanced computer system to the island also represents a significant investment in the local workforce and regional partnerships.
“We are extremely proud of our local team’s collaboration and our partnership with local vendors and HPE to deliver this cutting-edge solution to our users,” Pierce said. “This requires the constant support of a highly technical staff to ensure these solutions are properly configured and maintained.”
The MHPCC currently employs more than 45 professional staff members who live in the local community, with active hiring ongoing to fill additional open positions.
In partnership with the 15th Space Surveillance Squadron, the MHPCC team also regularly hosts science, technology, engineering and mathematics events and actively recruits local talent for summer internships, fostering the next generation of engineers and scientists in Hawaii.