Red Hat Enterprise Linux to Power NNSA’s First Exascale Supercomputer

Red Hat’s Enterprise Linux platform will be the operating system for El Capitan, the National Nuclear Security Administration’s first exascale supercomputer.

Located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, El Capitan will be used to ensure the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile and aid in scientific research in climate science, computational biology, high energy-density physics and more, Red Hat said.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux will provide the software foundation for El Capitan, which delivers more than two exaflops of processing power, enabling a cloud-ready architecture with integrated artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities.  

The system will also simplify administration for LLNL, ensuring a consistent user experience across its existing systems and El Capitan’s next-generation infrastructure.

Red Hat and LLNL’s collaboration is crucial for aligning high-performance computing strategies with the growing adoption of cloud-based systems, particularly for software environments requiring sustainability and accessibility.

Gunnar Hellekson, Red Hat vice president and general manager, emphasized the significance of a trustworthy, consistent and comprehensive platform such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux for critical research conducted by LLNL.

El Capitan is expected to be operational by mid-2024 and will be used by all three NNSA Tri-Labs.