Gefion, Denmark’s cutting-edge AI supercomputer, has secured a prominent position as the 7th fastest production storage system globally, while also ranking 4th in the 10-node benchmark on the IO500 list, which rates the world’s fastest storage systems annually.
This recognition highlights Gefion’s exceptional data-handling capabilities, positioning it not only as a standout AI and high-performance computing resource but also as one of the most efficient data-handling systems worldwide.
In addition to this achievement, Gefion recently ranked 21st globally on the TOP500 list of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, further cementing its status as a high-performance powerhouse.
The IO500 benchmarks evaluate the ability of supercomputers to read, write and transport data at lightning-fast speeds, a crucial factor in modern AI and high-performance computing. Gefion’s performance on this list reinforces its reputation as a cutting-edge system, excelling both in computational power and data management efficiency.
The significance of this 7th-place ranking lies in Gefion’s outstanding input/output (IO) performance — its speed in accessing, retrieving, and storing data. This capability is vital for AI model training and complex large-scale simulations, where processing vast data sets — often measured in petabytes — can be completed in days or hours instead of weeks.
“Gefion’s ranking on the IO500 list is another testament to our commitment to pushing technological boundaries in advanced computing for AI and research,” says Nadia Carlsten, CEO of the Danish Centre for AI Innovation (DCAI), which runs and operates Gefion.
“The powerful data storage and processing capabilities of Gefion mean that researchers can run larger, more intricate simulations and process datasets faster than ever,” she continues.
Strong IO performance can directly contribute to breakthroughs in areas such as climate modelling, drug discovery, and sustainable energy research.
“Gefion is a monumental step forward for AI research and innovation, delivering the scale and precision needed to tackle the most complex challenges in fields like healthcare, sustainable energy, and quantum computing,” says Alex Bouzari, Co-founder and CEO of Data Direct Networks (DDN), who is supplying storage for the Gefion AI supercomputer.
“By combining DDN’s industry-leading data platform with NVIDIA’s groundbreaking technology, Gefion is not only advancing Denmark’s leadership in AI but also enabling a new era of scientific discovery and global progress. We’re proud to support this world-class initiative, which epitomizes the transformative power of AI and HPC when supported by the right infrastructure”, he adds.
Gefion’s technological backbone includes NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD architecture, featuring 1,528 NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs interconnected with NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking. These components ensure not only unmatched processing power but also superior data access speeds, an essential factor for projects that rely on rapid results.
DCAI designed Gefion with future scalability and flexibility in mind, allowing it to integrate upcoming generations of NVIDIA accelerated computing technologies, ensuring that Denmark remains at the forefront of AI and high-performance computing innovation.