Node variability in large-scale power measurements: perspectives from the Green500, Top500 and EEHPCWG

The last decade has seen power consumption move from an afterthought to the foremost design constraint of new supercomputers. Measuring the power of a supercomputer can be a daunting proposition, and as a result, many published measurements are extrapolated. This paper explores the validity of these extrapolations in the context of inter-node power variability and power variations over time within a run. We characterize power variability across nodes in systems at eight supercomputer centers across the globe. This characterization shows that the current requirement for measurements submitted to the Green500 and others is insufficient, allowing variations of up to 20% due to measurement timing and a further 10--15% due to insufficient sample sizes. This paper proposes new power and energy measurement requirements for supercomputers, some of which have been accepted for use by the Green500 and Top500, to ensure consistent accuracy.