Germany launches ‘Otus’ supercomputer with 42,000 cores and carbon-free design

Germany’s research community gained a powerful new ally this week with the launch of the ‘Otus’ supercomputer at Paderborn University. Installed at the Paderborn Center for Parallel Computing (PC2), the advanced system will enable scientists nationwide to perform complex simulations and tackle major societal challenges through high-performance computing.

Paderborn University’s President, Professor Matthias Bauer, stated that the new infrastructure would enhance national research capabilities. “High-performance computing is hugely relevant to the pressing challenges of our time,” he said. “Researchers can use supercomputers to trawl through huge quantities of data within a short period of time and identify patterns. Experiments that would be extremely expensive, dangerous or quite simply impossible can be simulated.” He added that “this also allows us to make predictions about potential future developments,” highlighting that the facility gives Paderborn “access to state-of-the-art, world-class infrastructure.” Supercomputing for science and society ‘Otus’ will serve as a national resource, offering computing access to researchers across Germany through PC2’s application process.

Scientists submit proposals that undergo independent review before being allocated computing time. Once approved, their simulations are queued and automatically executed as capacity allows. Professor Christian Plessl, head of PC2 and a computer scientist at Paderborn University, said the system supports both fundamental and applied research.

“For example, fundamental research can involve understanding physical and chemical processes on an atomic level – something that is often quite simply impossible using experiments alone,” he said. “Other projects have a direct practical benefit, such as optimising container ship routes to reduce fuel consumption, improving the efficiency of solar cells, or developing new, more energy efficient AI methods.” Plessl added that the centre keeps the supercomputer operational “24 hours a day, 365 days a year.” Focus on energy efficiency Beyond computing power, ‘Otus’ also marks a major step toward sustainable technology.

Its indirect free cooling system allows efficient operation throughout the year, while waste heat from the machine is repurposed to warm university buildings. The facility runs entirely on renewable electricity, making its operations carbon-free. This approach has already earned recognition. Paderborn University recently ranked fifth in the global ‘Green500’ list of the world’s most energy-efficient supercomputing systems.

The ‘Otus’ system, developed by Lenovo and pro-com Datensysteme GmbH, includes 42,656 processor cores, 108 GPUs, and a five-petabyte storage system. Lenovo’s Director and Chief Technology Officer, Andreas Thomasch, said the project exemplifies practical innovation. “Technology is only valuable if it is usable and useful. Where this is the case, such as here in Paderborn, enormous computing power generates knowledge,” he said.

“We at Lenovo want to develop technologies that are innovative but also practicable for everyone.” Torsten Keuter of AMD added, “The ‘Otus’ supercomputer is not just performative, it is also very efficient. We are delighted to have been part of this installation.” The inauguration featured talks by leading academics, including Professor Jörg Behler of Ruhr University Bochum, who spoke on “Modern computer simulations in chemistry: machine learning or quantum mechanics?” Paderborn professors Stefan Schumacher and Axel Ngonga also discussed advances in quantum photonics and language models.