HPE Slingshot

HPE Slingshot. It is a high-performance Ethernet-based interconnect fabric designed for next-generation exascale computing and artificial intelligence workloads. Developed by Hewlett Packard Enterprise, it represents a significant evolution from previous InfiniBand-centric approaches in the supercomputer market. The technology aims to provide extreme scalability, low latency, and advanced congestion control within massive-scale high-performance computing environments.

Overview

HPE Slingshot is positioned as a critical differentiator for Hewlett Packard Enterprise in the competitive landscape for building the world's fastest supercomputers. It is the interconnect at the heart of several landmark systems, most notably the Frontier system at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which achieved exascale performance. The design philosophy centers on leveraging a modernized, high-radix Ethernet architecture to overcome traditional limitations associated with large-scale HPC and AI clusters. This approach facilitates a converged network capable of handling diverse traffic patterns from scientific simulation, big data analytics, and machine learning workflows simultaneously.

Architecture

The architecture of HPE Slingshot is built around custom ASICs and a high-radix switch design that provides extensive connectivity and bandwidth. A key innovation is its adaptive routing and congestion control mechanism, which uses per-packet telemetry to dynamically manage network traffic and prevent hotspots that can cripple performance in large systems. The fabric supports the Ethernet protocol natively but extends it with proprietary enhancements for ultra-low latency and high message rates. This hybrid model allows compatibility with standard Ethernet ecosystems while delivering performance characteristics that rival or exceed specialized interconnects like InfiniBand.

Software and management

The software stack for HPE Slingshot is integrated with the HPE Cray Programming Environment, providing a unified software suite for system management and application development. Key components include the HPE Cray Linux Environment, which is a robust, scalable operating system derived from SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Network management and monitoring are handled through the HPE Performance Cluster Manager and the HPE Cray System Management software, offering detailed insights into fabric health and performance. For application programming, it supports standard communication libraries such as OpenSHMEM and various implementations of the Message Passing Interface, including Cray MPICH.

Deployment and use cases

The primary deployment of HPE Slingshot is within flagship Hewlett Packard Enterprise supercomputer installations for major national research initiatives. Its most prominent deployment is in the Frontier system at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, part of the United States Department of Energy's Exascale Computing Project. Other significant systems include the LUMI supercomputer in Finland, hosted by the CSC – IT Center for Science, and the Adastra system for the GENCI agency in France. Use cases span computationally intensive fields such as climate modeling, nuclear fusion research, cancer genomics, and developing large-scale generative AI models.

History and development

The development of HPE Slingshot originated within Cray Inc., following its acquisition by Hewlett Packard Enterprise in 2019. It was conceived as the successor to the Cray Aries and Cray Gemini interconnects that powered previous generations of Cray XC and Cray XE systems. The technology was officially unveiled in November 2020, with Hewlett Packard Enterprise announcing it as the interconnect for the then-upcoming Frontier and El Capitan systems. Its successful integration and performance were demonstrated with Frontier's launch in 2022, securing the top position on the TOP500, Green500, and HPL-AI benchmarks, thereby validating its design for the exascale era.

Category:Computer network technology Category:Supercomputing Category:Hewlett Packard Enterprise