India's Pivotal Contribution to Fujitsu's Monaka Supercomputing Chip

Fujitsu's Supercomputing Breakthrough: How Indian Engineers are Leading the Way

Fujitsu, a top Japanese IT services provider with a rich history in supercomputing, is currently investing in its Monaka supercomputing project. This project is notable for its cutting-edge 2-nanometer ARM-based CPU chip, designed for high-performance computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and data center applications.

What makes this even more interesting is that Indian engineers are taking the lead in developing the software for Fujitsu Monaka from their research center in Bengaluru. In a recent interview with AIM, Priyanka Sharma, the director of R&D for Fujitsu’s Monaka software project, shared insights into the chip's innovation.

Power Efficiency and Innovation

• The Monaka chip stands out for its commitment to power efficiency.
• With an architecture housing 288 cores within 144-core sockets, this two-nanometer chip is a technological marvel, pushing the boundaries of what's possible.
• These powerful devices are set to accelerate AI applications, addressing the increasing demand for compute power in AI and data center applications.

Greener Data Centers

• Recognizing the growing concern about the environmental impact of data center amplification, Sharma highlighted Fujitsu's dedication to greener data centers.
• While India plays a crucial role in software development, Monaka-powered data centers are currently limited to Japan.

Beyond Speed: Fujitsu's Commitment to Innovation

• Fujitsu's Monaka project, aligned with Japan's NEDO program, goes beyond creating the fastest chip.
• It aims to produce a chip that efficiently serves various applications, showcasing Fujitsu's commitment to innovation.
• This positions Fujitsu as a key contributor to global energy-efficient technology.

Dual Focus: Performance and Energy Efficiency

• Sharma emphasized the dual focus of the project: balancing high performance with energy efficiency.
• The goal is to achieve a 2x performance boost and a 2x performance-per-watt increase by 2027.

Strides Towards Energy Efficiency

• The Monaka project's strides toward energy efficiency extend to both hardware and sophisticated software libraries designed to operate within the ARM ecosystem.
• This aligns with Fujitsu's broader mission of energy optimization.

Microarchitecture Specifics

• In terms of microarchitecture specifics, Sharma highlighted the shift to the ARMv9 architecture, emphasizing energy optimization.
• The adoption of a 3D chip planar-based design reduces the chip's size to an impressive two nanometers, promising a significant leap in performance and efficiency.

Generative AI and Sustainable Practices

• Fujitsu recognizes the challenges and opportunities in generative AI, aiming to provide energy-efficient inferencing solutions to counter potential carbon footprints.
• The company prioritizes inferencing over training, promoting the reuse of existing models with minimalistic changes for a more sustainable AI ecosystem.

Software Development in India

• Importantly, the software development for Monaka in India emphasizes compatibility with open-source software.
• Vivek Mahajan, Fujitsu's CTO, highlighted the complexity of engineering an open architecture chip like Monaka, crediting India's robust software expertise for achieving compatibility with diverse open-source software packages.

In summary, Fujitsu's Monaka project, driven by Indian engineers, showcases a groundbreaking leap in supercomputing technology, emphasizing power efficiency, global energy efficiency, and compatibility with open-source software for sustainable innovation.