When Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was founded in 1952, automated computing topped its list of needs. In fact, a Univac-1 computer was ordered even before the official opening. It arrived in 1953, soon after making a name for itself by successfully predicting Eisenhower’s victory in the 1952 presidential election.

The Univac-1 was the lab’s first electronic brain, but hardly its last. It marked the beginning of the Laboratory's links to commercial and scientific supercomputing, efforts to develop the fastest and most powerful machines, and use of those machines to solve large, complex problems.

Fast forward to today and you'll find that scientific computing is more vital to Livermore research than ever before. Modeling and simulation is ingrained in the DNA of virtually every area of Livermore research, from climate and medical research to fusion research and stockpile stewardship. The role of computation in the research process of today looks something like this: Model, simulate, test, then improve the model and repeat the process.

A number of Lawrence Livermore machines have topped lists of the world's fastest, greenest, and most big-data capable systems, but if you ask the Laboratory's researchers, they'll voice preference for more capable systems than sheer speed. Superlatives are nice, but they don't solve grand scientific challenges on their own. 

Lawrence Livermore researchers are working closely with industry and other national laboratories to develop next-generation high performance computers that are 30 times faster than today’s fastest machines. But more importantly, they're working together to develop the code required to take full advantage of the architectures of tomorrow.

What are the key facts?

The lab has been a leader in computing sciences since its founding in the 1950s.

Click through the timeline above to see how LLNL has used computers to solve problems through the decades.

The lab is partnering with industry other national labs to build next-gen supercomputers that are many times faster than today’s.