DHL SUPPLY CHAIN JAPAN SUCCESSFULLY DELIVERED SUPERCOMPUTER “FUGAKU”

DHL Supply Chain provided end-to-end logistics services, focusing on storage  and transportation and carry-in of computer units for the “Fugaku” – which is ranked as the world’s No.1 Supercomputer

DHL Supply Chain, the global market leader for contract logistics solutions has successfully delivered 432 computer units of Supercomputer “Fugaku” to the RIKEN Center for Computational Science in Kobe, Japan. “Fugaku” is a supercomputer system jointly developed by Fujitsu and RIKEN and set to become fully operational in 2021. It has been recognized as the world’s top Supercomputer, and achieved top accolade in  ISC2020 TOP500, HPCG, HPL-AI as well as Graph500 performance

“This is a highly important project that demanded extraordinary skills and precision to transport and deliver such massive ultraprecision machines.. Crucially, we needed to be nimble to minimize disruption caused by travel restrictions during the nation’s state of emergency. DHL’s expertise in temperature controlled logistics for precision machinery ensured the high-value equipment were transported over 300km unscathed even as we dealt with multiple changes to the schedule due to the evolving situation,” said Alfred Goh, President & Representative Director, CEO Japan and Korea, DHL Supply Chain. 

With each “Fugaku” computing unit weighing 1.6 ton, the weight of the entire cargo transported over the course of six months came in at approximately 700 tons. Given the colossal size of each unit, DHL had to extend its resources and network to secure the usage of special vehicles capable of carrying such heavy loads – a situation that is especially pressing given that very few transport vehicles in Japan meet this requirement.  Equally, DHL deployed temperature, humidity and vibration control measures throughout the storage and delivery process from Fujitsu IT Products' Kasashima plant in Ishikawa Prefecture to RIKEN facility in Kobe City in Hyogo through repeated validations in collaboration with Fujitsu to ensure the machines are delivered door-to-door in pristine condition. 

Takashi Yamanishi, Corporate Executive Officer, Head of Global Supply Chain Unit, Fujitsu said, “When it becomes fully operational in 2021, the supercomputing ability of “Fugaku” is expected to contribute to innovative research to solve social issues, as well as research projects aimed at coping with the Covid-19 pandemic. We knew from the beginning that transporting “Fugaku” would require partnering the right logistics partner who has the adequate expertise and knowledge to execute this seamlessly. Having partnered DHL since 2004, we were confident that the team would have taken every extra precaution to guarantee the project’s success. I would like to express appreciation to DHL team for delivering to our expectations and successfully completing the transportation on behalf of all the people involved in this project.”