Efficient high performance computing with the ALICE Event Processing Nodes GPU-based farm

Abstract

Due to the increase of data volumes expected for the LHC Run 3 and Run 4, the ALICE Collaboration designed and deployed a new, energy efficient, computing model to run Online and Offline O${}^2$ data processing within a single software framework. The ALICE O${}^2$ Event Processing Nodes (EPN) project performs online data reconstruction using GPUs (Graphic Processing Units) instead of CPUs and applies an efficient, entropy-based, online data compression to cope with PbPb collision data at a 50 kHz hadronic interaction rate. Also, the O${}^2$ EPN farm infrastructure features an energy efficient, environmentally friendly, adiabatic cooling system which allows for operational and capital cost savings.