KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC, on behalf of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), selected Burns & McDonnell to provide design services for the Exascale Computing Facility Modernization (ECFM) project. Located at the LCC B453 building (formerly known as the Terascale Computing Facility) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the project will modify the facility to accommodate increased infrastructure demands for exascale, one of the world’s fastest computing platforms.

The scope for the ECFM project includes design upgrades to the facility’s electrical, mechanical and structural capabilities, altering approximately 50,000 square feet of the data center floor space. This includes adding 15,100 tons of cooling capacity and an additional 40 megawatts of power through parallel 115 kV transmission lines. An accelerated schedule will prepare the facility for the first exascale machine in 2022 and the second in 2028.

“At a quintillion (a billion billion) calculations each second, exascale computing has potential to drive discoveries across the spectrum of scientific fields and have a profound impact on everyday life,” says Anna Maria Bailey, high performance computing chief engineer, LLNL. “The exascale supercomputers will surpass the fastest computers in today’s world, analyze massive volumes of data and simulate complex processes and relationships.”

Burns & McDonnell is teaming with members of the original Terascale Computing Facility design team for the facility, including RMW Architecture, Forell/Elsesser Engineers and BKF Engineers. The team also includes RHAA Landscape Architects and Leland Saylor Associates.

“Exascale is the next era of computing and our team is ready and committed to successfully deliver the project to help make it possible,” says Dave Barr, vice president and Federal practice leader, Burns & McDonnell. “The team will use our extensive experience with the NNSA and Department of Energy, in-depth knowledge of the regional transmission and LLNL electrical distribution system, critical HVAC requirements and existing computing facility to help the client solve complex issues for this mission-critical project.”

Project completion is expected in 2022.

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