Sumitomo Rubber Begins Utilizing Fugaku Supercomputer～Accelerating the Advancement of Materials Simulation～
Mar. 09. 2021
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. is pleased to announce that, having applied to make use of HPCI (High-Performance Computing Infrastructure) for industrial research purposes in 2021, we have been granted one of the first corporate slots to begin utilizing the Fugaku Supercomputer*1 after it becomes available for general use by academic and industrial researchers from March 9 of this year.
Since we first unveiled our proprietary “ADVANCED 4D NANO DESIGN Tire Materials Development Technology” in 2015, the Sumitomo Rubber Group has used this groundbreaking technology to push ahead with the development of new rubber materials with the aim of achieving simultaneous improvements in three key tire performance traits: Fuel Efficiency, Grip and Wear Resistance. With the powerful Fugaku Supercomputer now at our disposal, we will bring further advancements to ADVANCED 4D NANO DESIGN in order to better respond to the needs of CASE, MaaS and other new automotive innovations so that we can make an even greater contribution to the “Mobility Society of the Future.”
As part of SMART TYRE CONCEPT*2, our key development concept for technical innovation, the Sumitomo Rubber Group has recently been working on the development of “Performance Sustaining Technology,” a new technology that curbs the decline in tire performance that occurs over time due to wear and tear, thereby allowing tires to maintain like-new performance for longer. One of the major challenges involved in developing this technology is the fact that it requires a precise understanding of the chemical changes occurring within rubber at the molecular level during tire usage so that these chemical changes can then be controlled. Just recently, we published a research paper describing a newly established technique for simulating the molecular behavior of rubber materials while accounting for their molecular structures in greater detail*3. Backed by the awesome power of the Fugaku Supercomputer, we are now working to further advance rubber materials simulation technology in order to accurately simulate not only molecular behavior, but also actual chemical changes.
※1. Fugaku Supercomputer
Developed to produce world-leading computational results as the successor to the K Computer while also contributing to the further development of Japan by facilitating solutions to societal issues and scientific challenges, Fugaku is the world’s premier supercomputer in terms of overall capabilities (power and computing performance, convenience and ease of use, ability to produce groundbreaking results while accelerating big data processing and artificial intelligence and so forth).
Equipped with 158,976 central processing units (CPU), Fugaku is capable of performing approximately 442 quadrillion calculations per second. It was rated as the world’s most powerful supercomputer by TOP500, HPCG, HPL-AI and Graph500 twice in a row (in June and November of 2020).
※2. SMART TYRE CONCEPT
Our forward-thinking concept for the development of tires and peripheral services, SMART TYRE CONCEPT aims to achieve a whole-new level of safety and environmental performance for the next generation by taking on such challenges as creating “tires that are compatible with autonomous driving,” “tires that can provide solutions for greater safety and peace of mind,” “tires that incorporate the idea of Life Cycle Assessment” and so forth.
※3. We recently published a research paper in a renowned scientific journal, describing a new technique for examining molecular structures in greater detail. (https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/5.0036555)
Since we first unveiled our proprietary “ADVANCED 4D NANO DESIGN Tire Materials Development Technology” in 2015, the Sumitomo Rubber Group has used this groundbreaking technology to push ahead with the development of new rubber materials with the aim of achieving simultaneous improvements in three key tire performance traits: Fuel Efficiency, Grip and Wear Resistance. With the powerful Fugaku Supercomputer now at our disposal, we will bring further advancements to ADVANCED 4D NANO DESIGN in order to better respond to the needs of CASE, MaaS and other new automotive innovations so that we can make an even greater contribution to the “Mobility Society of the Future.”
As part of SMART TYRE CONCEPT*2, our key development concept for technical innovation, the Sumitomo Rubber Group has recently been working on the development of “Performance Sustaining Technology,” a new technology that curbs the decline in tire performance that occurs over time due to wear and tear, thereby allowing tires to maintain like-new performance for longer. One of the major challenges involved in developing this technology is the fact that it requires a precise understanding of the chemical changes occurring within rubber at the molecular level during tire usage so that these chemical changes can then be controlled. Just recently, we published a research paper describing a newly established technique for simulating the molecular behavior of rubber materials while accounting for their molecular structures in greater detail*3. Backed by the awesome power of the Fugaku Supercomputer, we are now working to further advance rubber materials simulation technology in order to accurately simulate not only molecular behavior, but also actual chemical changes.
New Molecular Simulation Technique
※1. Fugaku Supercomputer
Developed to produce world-leading computational results as the successor to the K Computer while also contributing to the further development of Japan by facilitating solutions to societal issues and scientific challenges, Fugaku is the world’s premier supercomputer in terms of overall capabilities (power and computing performance, convenience and ease of use, ability to produce groundbreaking results while accelerating big data processing and artificial intelligence and so forth).
Equipped with 158,976 central processing units (CPU), Fugaku is capable of performing approximately 442 quadrillion calculations per second. It was rated as the world’s most powerful supercomputer by TOP500, HPCG, HPL-AI and Graph500 twice in a row (in June and November of 2020).
※2. SMART TYRE CONCEPT
Our forward-thinking concept for the development of tires and peripheral services, SMART TYRE CONCEPT aims to achieve a whole-new level of safety and environmental performance for the next generation by taking on such challenges as creating “tires that are compatible with autonomous driving,” “tires that can provide solutions for greater safety and peace of mind,” “tires that incorporate the idea of Life Cycle Assessment” and so forth.
※3. We recently published a research paper in a renowned scientific journal, describing a new technique for examining molecular structures in greater detail. (https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/5.0036555)