High-Performance Computers (HPC) have initiated a revolutionary develop- ment in research and technology since many complex and challenging prob- lems in this area can only be solved by HPC and a network in modeling, algo- rithms and software. In 1998 the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Association) recommended to install an additional Federal High- Performance Computer followed by the one in Stuttgart. In January 1999 the Wissenschaftsrat (German Science Council) decided that the Leibniz- Rechenzentrum (Computing Center) of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences in Munich should run the second Federal High-Performance Computer in Ger- many. The investment cost of this Hochstleistungsrechner in Bayern (HLRB) was borne by the Federal Government of Germany and the Free State of Bavaria whereas the operating cost was at the expense of the Bavarian Gov- ernment only. The operation of the HLRB is organized in combination with the - Leibniz-Rechenzentrum (LRZ) of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences as the operating authority of the HLRB - Steering Committee of the HLRB - Competence Network for Technical/Scientific High-Performance Comp- ing in Bavaria (KONWIHR). In 2000 a Hitachi SR8000-Fl was installed. It was the first Teraflops Com- puter in Germany and reached a peak performance of two Teraflops after an extension at the end of 2001. The goal of HLRB is to provide computer facil- ities necessary to solve challenging scientific and technological problems that cannot be solved on big servers but require large (storage) high-performance (very fast) computers and efficient software.
