Guest blog by By Michal Tarnawski – Global Director of IT, Opera
Opera is at the forefront of developing user-centric web browsers that deliver the best online experience. We always aim to innovate at speed and scale. That’s why we embarked on a new journey in early 2023, investing in a supercomputer in Iceland that could handle our growing technical needs – especially surrounding AI.
This required an infrastructure capable of working with the most advanced AI models and facilitating generative AI applications. We needed a high-density accelerated computing supercomputer yet knew that not every data center could handle these types of workloads.
Our company has a long history with atNorth, so we naturally turned to the atNorth team to explore their ICE02 site and see what it could offer. As an NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Center partner, atNorth offered a clear choice in housing our Opera KEF‑1 AI cluster at the ICE02 site.
Building an Extraordinary Supercomputer
We sought to build a supercomputing cluster that can support us through a transformative journey as we build new AI tools to redefine the nature of browsing and keep pace with the burgeoning demands of our users.
The Opera Iceland KEF‑1 supercomputer is an NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD with NVIDIA DGX H100 systems paired with the NVIDIA AI Enterprise software platform. The AI supercomputer solution allows us to dramatically speed up the training of AI models and generate responses from LLMs. With these advanced AI capabilities, our developers are able to work on new features and experiences driven by AI.
atNorth’s ICE02 site has ample rack space and available capacity of 80MW. By housing our AI infrastructure here, we are not only supporting current high-density demands, but we’re also future-proofing our IT business with a centralized hub for high-performing computational tasks that can scale and evolve as we continue to expand our AI services.
But our priorities in deploying one of the most advanced supercomputers hasn’t just been limited to the IT stack. Sustainability is a priority for Opera. This supercomputer has been designed to minimize its impact on the environment – a requirement that was at the top of our agenda from day one. atNorth’s location in Iceland is perfectly suited for this need, with its abundance of carbon-free hydroelectric and geothermal power for energy and free air cooling.
We think our new cluster is extraordinary – and we’re not alone. The Opera Iceland KEF‑1 NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD at atNorth’s ICE02 data center in Iceland is currently ranked among the top 150 most powerful supercomputers in the world. We couldn’t be more proud to join this group of powerful supercomputers across the globe.
The Key to Successful Innovation Lies in Teamwork
Teamwork makes projects of this scale, size, and complexity possible, and we have been fortunate to work with atNorth and NVIDIA.
With atNorth in a position to house our AI supercomputer immediately, we could get this project off the ground and running in less than six months. atNorth’s team has been nothing but exceptional: from initial service delivery and execution to their continued excellence in service, everything they deliver is of the highest quality.
We’re incredibly proud to be at the forefront of innovation with leaders like these two organizations as we continue to do our utmost to deliver the best possible experiences for our users.