Application Modernization at LLNL and the Sierra Center of Excellence

In 2014, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory began acquisition of Sierra, a pre-exascale system from IBM and Nvidia. It marks a significant shift in direction for LLNL by introducing the concept of heterogeneous computing via GPUs. LLNL's mission requires application teams to prepare for this paradigm shift. Thus, the Sierra procurement required a proposed Center of Excellence that would align the expertise of the chosen vendors with laboratory personnel that represent the application developers, system software, and tool providers in a concentrated effort to prepare the laboratory's codes in advance of the system transitioning to production in 2018. This article presents LLNL's overall application strategy, with a focus on how LLNL is collaborating with IBM and Nvidia to ensure a successful transition of its mission-oriented applications into the exascale era.