GPU-free Teton Supercomputer Launched in the US to Advance Nuclear Energy
13:43, 10.02.2026
The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has announced the launch of Teton, a new computing complex. This supercomputer quadruples the laboratory's performance, joining its existing HPC systems: Bitterroot, Hoodoo, Wind River, and Sawtooth.
Teton’s Key Features
The primary feature of this supercomputer is the absence of graphics accelerators (GPUs). The system is built exclusively on AMD EPYC 9005 (Turin) processors and the HPE Cray EX 4000 platform.
In total, the architecture utilizes 393,216 CPU cores and 768 TB of RAM. Consequently, Teton is considered one of the world's most powerful non-GPU computers.
Why No GPUs?
The choice of a GPU-free architecture is driven by the laboratory's specific tasks, namely, physical modeling for next-generation nuclear technologies.
The INL explains that for modeling fast-neutron reactors and microreactors, using CPUs alone is more efficient than a combined CPU+GPU architecture.
In its current form, Teton allows for precise simulation of material and particle behavior, which is vital for the safety and energy efficiency of future nuclear power plants.