Customers Worldwide Choose Dell for High-Performance Computing Clusters
CUSTOMERS WORLDWIDE CHOOSE DELL FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING CLUSTERS
PowerEdge Servers are Powering Everything from Seismic Research to Mapping
New Territories in Space
AUSTIN, Texas, June 3, 2002 - Many of the world's leading corporations,
universities and research institutions are realizing the performance and
price benefits of standards-based technology for applications previously
conducted on expensive proprietary systems.
Since the launch of Dell's high-performance computing cluster (HPCC) program
in February, the company has delivered thousands of Dell( PowerEdge( servers
worldwide to customers performing these complex computations with large
groups of standards-based systems.
Applications include analyzing seismic data to find new oil and gas
repositories, modeling and predicting ocean currents, and mapping galaxies
with information from satellites.
Customers cite the compelling value, performance, service and support,
partnerships, and ease-of-use of Dell's standards-based PowerEdge servers as
the primary reason for their selections.
In Search of New Energy Sources
Companie Generale de Geophysique (CGG) is in the process of further
expanding its capacity for high-performance computing at its Foxboro Center,
United Kingdom facilities. The expansion is being driven by their
customers' increasing demand for CGG's unique proprietary applications for
seismic data processing.
As a leading supplier of services and products to the worldwide oil and gas
industry, CGG is deploying 512 clustered PowerEdge servers running RedHat
Linux in the United Kingdom to process data in finding new oil fields around
the world.
CGG selected Dell for the latest HPCC project based on several important
factors, according to Guillaume Cambois, CGG's executive vice president for
the Processing and Reservoir Services.
"Dell's ability to quickly accommodate CGG's demanding requirements, the
design of their architecture, which facilitates a smooth and rapid
deployment based on intelligent hardware features, and the price and
performance benefits CGG experienced with its 1536-node Dell HPC cluster in
our Houston, Texas center, contributed to this decision."
A Sea of Change
Johns Hopkins University, a leading academic and research university, is
utilizing a Dell HPC cluster running RedHat Linux in its Department of Earth
and Planetary Sciences. The cluster is used to perform ocean-circulation
modeling at its Baltimore, Maryland campus.
Through the cluster's integration of the equations of ocean dynamics,
scientists are achieving a better understanding of the ocean's role in
climate, both in the past, and in the globally-warmed future. The cluster
also is used to simulate the penetration, storage and dispersal of
atmospheric contaminants in the ocean, such as man-made carbon dioxides and
chlorofluorocarbons gases.
The ocean is modeled as a grid with each rack-mounted PowerEdge server node
dedicated to computing the currents in a small part of the ocean. The
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is planning to expand its cluster
and to also simulate Earth's atmosphere and deep interior with it.
"My group chose Dell as the infrastructure partner for its ocean circulation
modeling research because of the reliability of Dell PowerEdge servers and
Dell customer support," Tom Haine, a professor at Johns Hopkins University
said. "Building our cluster on open standards server technology and the
RedHat Linux operating system was an easy decision when you compare it to a
tradition supercomputer purchase. It allowed us to maximize cluster
performance and robustness within our technology budget."
The Stars in the Southern Hemisphere
Swinburne University in Victoria Australia also is using high-performance
clusters based on Dell PowerEdge servers and Linux to map new territories in
space. The University's PowerEdge server and Dell Precision workstation
HPC-clusters are being used to process data from the Parkes Radio Telescope
in search of ultra-fast Pulsars.
Swinburne is investigating the equation of the state of nuclear matter and
testing the General Theory of Relativity in new ways. It also is
transforming data from the Mars Orbital Laser Altimeter into animations of
Mars' surface for use in educational films.
"Deploying standards-based technology enables us to meet our budgets and,
most importantly, process monumental amounts of data critical for our
research," said Professor Bailes, director of the Centre for Astrophysics
and Supercomputing at Swinburne University. "Dell is the logical technology
partner for us because of their outstanding price performance and commitment
to ensuring the success of each customer's project."
"As price/performance continues to improve due to innovations in
industry-standard technology, Dell is a leader in the development of
computing solutions that capitalize on this trend for customers," said Randy
Groves, vice president of Dell's Enterprise Systems Group. "The success of
the HPCC program underscores customers' demand for cost-effective solutions
that are flexible and high-performing."
Other businesses and universities participating in Dell's HPCC program
include Cornell Theory Center, Fiat Research Centre, Georgia Institute of
Technology, Notre Dame, Penn State University, Sandia National Laboratories,
the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Missouri - St.
Louis, and many others.
About Dell
Dell Computer Corporation (Nasdaq: DELL), the world's most preferred
computer systems company, is a premier provider of products and services
required for customers worldwide to build their information-technology and
Internet infrastructures. The company's revenue for the past four quarters
totaled $31.2 billion. Dell, through its direct business model, designs,
manufactures and customizes products and services to customer requirements,
and offers an extensive selection of software and peripherals. Information
on Dell and its products can be obtained at www.dell.com.
