Nick McDonald, Senior iGaming Account Director at Fsas Technologies, talks through its Monaka Supercomputer and why the future is all about quantum computing.
The Monaka Supercomputer. Tell us more about it.
The Monaka Supercomputer is an energy-efficient, ARM-based processor for next-gen data centres. It’s been designed to address the challenges data centres face now, and in the future, with unmatched performance and power efficiency. It’s been developed by leveraging our unique in-house design expertise, cultivated through world-leading supercomputer development, including the K computer and the supercomputer Fugaku, combined with cutting-edge 2nm processing technology. 
Set for launch in 2027, Monaka will cater to a wide range of customer needs, ranging from AI and high-speed simulation to data analysis, while driving down the cost of ownership from deployment to operation.
How are data centre demands changing, and what sort of challenges are being faced?
In recent years, the increasing demands of DX and AI have led to a surge in data volume, driving the need for large-scale data centres and intermediary edge clouds. While processor performance has advanced to handle this massive data processing, the resulting increase in power consumption poses a significant challenge. With processor power consumption projected to account for an even larger portion of data centre usage in the future, improving processor energy efficiency now is crucial. This is why we have joined the “Development of next-generation green data centre technology” project, which is part of the “Green Innovation Fund Project/Next Generation Digital Infrastructure Construction” project, subsidised by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation.
Leveraging and further evolving the technologies cultivated through the development of the K computer and the supercomputer Fugaku, we are developing Monaka, a high-performance, energy-efficient processor that overcomes the challenges being faced. How? By providing unparalleled performance and power efficiency, which contributes to the energy savings in social infrastructure and the realisation of a carbon-neutral society.
Can you talk us through some of the key features of Monaka?
Of course. First up, it provides a high-speed data processing platform from which our customers can achieve superior application performance with many-core architecture and high-capacity memory – it’s twice as fast as competing CPUs. It also provides robust support for a wide range of AI workloads on the CPU with AI-Specific CPU instruction extensions and accelerated AI libraries. Next, it balances energy efficiency and performance via its unique, in-house architecture. It’s twice as efficient as competing CPUs, thanks to reduced deployment costs, easy installation and scalability with air-cooling compatibility. It’s super secure and reliable, with enhanced data protection in both data centre and edge environments, with the encryption features of Confidential Computing Architecture. Finally, it’s easy to use. Organisations can enable versatility through compatibility with major open-source software and industry-standard operating systems. It also offers seamless access to the full ARM software ecosystem without modification, and comes with a software stack and suite of AI, data, analytics and HPC applications and libraries optimised specifically for Monaka.
How does Monaka sit within your International Quantum Centre located in Spain?
Our International Quantum Centre launched in 2023 in Galicia, Spain, with CESGA support, and serves as our quantum business unit in Europe, working closely with customers and partners to accelerate the adoption of quantum technologies. This includes solutions such as Monaka. We support wider ecosystem development by collaborating across the entire value chain and advancing the integration of quantum computing with HPC to unlock new possibilities for innovation and efficiency. In short, it is an acceleration mechanism for the development, use, promotion and commercialisation of quantum technologies in Europe, and bridges the gap between quantum research and real-world business.
You mentioned CESGA supporting your International Quantum Centre – what is CESGA, and how are you working together?
CESGA was established in 1991 to contribute to the development of science and technology using high-performance computers and communication technologies for the benefit of society. Because of the evolution of quantum technologies, and the clear role they will play moving forward, CESGA was determined to start its own quantum journey back in 2023, selecting us at is partner to create the International Quantum Technology hub located in Galicia, Spain, giving it access to the necessary resources to create knowledge, attract talent and secure future investment for the region. The partnership is a joint effort to accelerate research using quantum computing technology and to promote the development of the quantum industry, both on a regional and international level – we also collaborate closely with Galician Universities and researchers’ communities from the Spanish National Research Council to further boost the development and research of quantum technologies create new knowledge in the field and to promote the use of quantum technologies, including Monaka, to tackle societal challenges confronting the world.
