ABACUS: the Laboratory of Applied Mathematics and High Performance Computing of the Department of Mathematics of CINVESTAV.
The Government of the State of Mexico and the National Council of Science and Technology launched the Mixed Fund CONACYT - Government of the State of Mexico Call 2011-01 in which actions are demanded to promote the increase of the Scientific and Technological infrastructure of the State of Mexico, aimed at promoting the development of Applied Mathematics and High Performance Computing (CAR) with an impact on the Economic, Social and Industrial Sectors of the Region for the development of projects that generate frontier knowledge, the training of highly specialized human resources in science, engineering and new technologies as well as to contribute to the application of this knowledge for the benefit of society.
In response to this demand, CINVESTAV, an institution with 60 years of experience in frontier research, training of high-level human resources and cutting-edge technological services, presented through the Department of Mathematics the proposal of: A World Class Space for Science and Technology Specialized in Applied Mathematics and High Performance Computing "Mathematics and Computing for technological innovation" as the basis for the creation of the Laboratory of Applied Mathematics and High Performance Computing, CINVESTAV-EDOMEX called "ABACUS".
This proposal was approved in October 2011 and formally began in April 2012. This Laboratory of the Department of Mathematics is located in the suburban forest area of La Marquesa, in the municipality of Ocoyoacac, between the limits of the State of Mexico and Mexico City. ABACUS was conceived as a forward-looking proposal for the development of frontier knowledge, to strengthen and consolidate two fundamental aspects of modern science and technology in Mexico: Applied Mathematics and High Performance Computing (CAR). High-performance computing is the most advanced numerical computing technology that currently exists to conduct highly specialized research. It is a tool that allows researchers to carry out, with certainty and very high speed, numerical simulations that involve billions of mathematical calculations to study huge and complex problems.
ABACUS is home to one of Latin America's leading research supercomputers, ranked 255th on the July 2015 world TOP 500-supercomputer list, with an updated total throughput of ~ 0.5 Petaflops and a storage capacity of 1 petabyte. Since 2016, ABACUS has supported scientific efforts to solve complex problems through collaborative work between different research communities throughout the country. Examples of projects are: numerical simulation of vascular malformations in the brain; molecular helix racemization studies; numerical simulation of environmental hazards; analysis of mathematical processes, study of conjectures, verification of computational tests as well as simulations and applications, as example for the mathematical concept of sand piles; combinatorial covering arrays for matrices used in software testing; cryptographic algorithms; simulation of subatomic processes; simulation of astrophysical phenomena and recently the ENERXICO Project: Supercomputing and Energy for Mexico (see https://enerxico-project.eu). Some projects have a direct impact on daily life and industry, for example, the numerical simulation of the dispersion of volcanic ash near major airports in the country and early warning systems for coastal flooding.