High-performance computer

Parallel data processing for complex scientific analyses

The high-performance computer at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin is a so-called High Performance Computing (HPC) cluster. This is a network of interconnected computers capable of performing a large number of computational operations in parallel. Such systems enable scientific analyses that could not be carried out on individual computers, or only very slowly. 

At the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, eleven computers with a total of 640 processor cores and 8.5 terabytes of RAM are connected to form a cluster. There is also a GPU node for CUDA-based applications.
In addition, there are two storage servers for parallel file systems and a VM cluster for various services such as monitoring and user administration for the evaluation of scientific calculations.  

The combination of different compute nodes covers a range of requirements. Time-consuming calculations can run for many weeks or months, whilst other applications utilise multiple processors in parallel or require a particularly large amount of RAM. Researchers access the cluster directly from their workstations in the museum and exchange data via the internal network. The operating system, along with numerous scientific program libraries, editors and analysis tools, enables a wide range of scientific applications. 

What is the supercomputer used for?

The supercomputer is particularly suitable for: 

  • numerical simulations of complex natural processes 
  • analysis of large biological and genomic datasets 
  • modelling of geophysical and geodynamic processes 
  • parallel computations with very high computational demands 
  • data-intensive bioinformatic analyses 
  • Long-term scientific modelling spanning many weeks or months 

Use and collaboration

The supercomputer is available to researchers at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. It is used by various research groups, including those specialising in evolutionary biology, bioinformatics, geology and planetary science. 

The infrastructure enables computationally intensive analyses to be integrated directly into scientific workflows. Access and data exchange take place via the museum’s internal network. 

External researchers may use the facility as part of joint research projects. 

Laboratory procedures and analytical methods

  • Numerical modelling of highly dynamic processes 
  • Simulation of geophysical and planetary impacts 
  • Bioinformatic genome and sequence analyses 
  • parallel high-performance computing 

Application in research and projects

Application in research and projects

æ Fenski, C., Feige, J., Airo, A., Miedtank, A. (2025). Constraining the Cosmic Origin of Micrometeorites from the Atacama Desert, Chile. Goldschmidt2025 abstracts, 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7185/gold2025.31799

æ Allen, N., Riebe, M., Väisänen, S., Kohout, T., Suhonen, H., Fenski, C., Feige, J., Taylor, S., Maden, C., Busemann, H. (2025). Atmospheric entry heating in cosmic dust. Goldschmidt2025 abstracts, 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7185/gold2025.30628

æ Miedtank, A., Airo, A., Hecht, L., Fenski, C., Feige, J. (2025). Micrometeorite Diversity in a Time-Resolved Sedimentary Record from the Atacama Desert – A Key to Understanding Solar System Events. Goldschmidt2025 abstracts, 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7185/gold2025.32037

æ Miedtank, A., Airo, A., Fenski, C., Feige, J. (2024). Micrometeorites from a Time-Revolved Sedimentary Record in the Atacama Desert. LPI Contrib. No. 3036. URL: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/metsoc2024/pdf/6407.pdf

æ Blom, M.P., Peona, V., Prost, S., Christidis, L., Benz, B.W., Jønsson, K.A., Suh, A., Irestedt, M. (2024). Hybridization in birds-of-paradise: Widespread ancestral gene flow despite strong sexual selection in a lek-mating system. iScience, 27(7), 110300. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.110300

æ Thörn, F., Müller, I.A., Soares, A.E.R., Nagombi, E., Jønsson, K.A., Blom, M.P.K., Irestedt, M. (2025). Frequent Hybridisation Between Parapatric Lekking Bird-of-Paradise Species. Molecular Ecology, 34(11), e17780. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17780

æ DeCoster, M.E., Luther, R., Collins, G.S., Dai, K., Davison, T., Graninger, D.M., Kaufmann, F., Rainey, E.S.G., Stickle, A.M. (2024). The Relative Effects of Surface and Subsurface Morphology on the Deflection Efficiency of Kinetic Impactors: Implications for the DART Mission. The Planetary Science Journal, 5(1), 21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad11ec

æ Luther, R., Schmalen, A., Artemieva, N. (2023). Campo del Cielo modeling and comparison with observations: II. Funnels and craters. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 58(12), 1832-1847. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.14104

æ Luther, R., Artemieva, N., Schmalen, A., Wünnemann, K., Koschny, D., Moissl, R. (2025). Small but mighty: Impact hazards from iron Near‐Earth Objects. Meteoritics and Planetary Science, maps.70086. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.70086

Poelchau, M.H., Winkler, R., Kenkmann, T., Wirth, R., Luther, R., Schäfer, F. (2024). Extreme twin densities in calcite—A shock indicator. Geology, 53(3), 279-283. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1130/G52795.1

æ Senel, C.B., Luther, R., Karatekin, Ö., Dai, K., Luo, X.Z., Collins, G.S., DeCoster, M.E., Davison, T., Tao, Y., Raducan, S.D., Zhu, M.H., Goderis, S., Wünnemann, K., Claeys, P. (2025). Proximal boulders and momentum transfer from DART-scale 3D impact simulations on asteroid Dimorphos. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 545(3), staf2162. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staf2162