Accelerating science with AI and simulations - MIT News

An Argonne team used the ALCF’s Aurora exascale supercomputer to carry out massive gravity-only cosmological simulations that will help scientists investigate cosmic inflation and support the analysis of observations from DESI, SPHEREx and other major sky surveys. Oct. 19, 2026 — Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have completed two […] The post Argonne’s Aurora Supercomputer Powers 2 of the Largest Cosmological Simulations to Date appeared first on HPCwire .

Researchers at the U. S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have completed two of the largest cosmological simulations ever performed. Each simulation modeled the evolution of 13.4 trillion dark matter particles across a region 28.6 billion light-years wide. Dark matter is invisible to telescopes, but its gravitational effects drive galaxy formation and shape larger-scale structures in the universe. In the simulations, particles stand in as tracers of the dark matter density and velocity distributions. This allows researchers to trace how cosmic structure has evolved over billions of years. Simulations at this scale require enormous computing power. The team performed the calculations on Argonne’s Aurora exascale machine. One of the world’s largest supercomputers, the system has 10,624 nodes and 63,744 graphics processing units (GPUs). Aurora is housed at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF), a DOE Office of Science user facility. The team’s simulations used a significant portion of the system. Each run drew on 8,100 nodes and roughly 50,000 GPUs. The simulations and much of the data analysis were completed in about four days.

A major software advance could aid the creation of bigger, more reliable quantum computers, a study suggests. Researchers have developed an algorithm that enables off-the-shelf computers to run quantum simulations previously only possible using the world's most powerful supercomputers. It means the simulations can be run using around 5% of the computing power previously needed to perform them with a supercomputer, the team says. The advance could make it cheaper and easier to run experiments vital for understanding the limitations of current quantum computers and informing the design of improved devices, experts say. Simulations confront quantum computing's limits

Across US college campuses, undergraduates are carrying Longchamp’s Le Pliage bag — the trusty, foldable tote that has had teenagers and 20-somethings in a chokehold since its launch in 1993. In Paris, schoolgirls are seen wielding the bag from as young as 13, while in the UK, it’s an undying staple of accessible luxury, associated with royals and it-girls including Lila Moss and Alexa Chung. And in Aaron Sorkin’s new film The Social Reckoning, Mikey Madison’s whistle-blowing protagonist carries the bag as part of her San Francisco tech employee uniform. On TikTok, creators crow about Le Pliage’s visually and physically satisfying design, produced in workshops across Western France. For many, it’s the perfect first “big girl” bag, priced accessibly at $165 for the classic large canvas iteration — and available in sizes ranging from extra-extra small through XL. “We’ve always had the image of being excellent value,” says CEO Jean Cassegrain. “It’s the history of our brand to always be contemporary, in sync with the times, and to adjust to new customer needs.”Cassegrain is the third generation in the Longchamp family.