Oxford University: Serious Performance
Case Study: Intel® Xeon® processor 5500 series; High-Performance Computing; Energy Efficiency: Environment and Performance
Intel® Xeon® processor–based SGI Altix* systems deliver dense, energy-efficient performance for Oxford Supercomputing Centre. You have to love an institution that names its high-performance computing (HPC) systems after fictional supercomputers that committed murder or mayhem. But if the Oxford Supercomputing Centre (OSC) at the University of Oxford shows a whimsical side in naming its systems, it is completely serious when it comes to helping researchers use them to solve complex research Challenges. Two of the OSC’s most powerful supercomputers are SGI Altix* systems based on the Intel® Xeon® processor family, including a dense SGI Altix Integrated Blade Cluster (ICE) powered by the Intel Xeon processor 5500 series.
Challenges
Expanding capacity. Building on its success in meeting the needs of campus researchers, the OSC received funds to expand its HPC resources and extend its services to commercial users.
• Scale and flexibility. The center needed a flexible platform that could run a wide variety of technical applications and scale to meet fast-growing requirements.
Solution
• Intel® Xeon® processor–based performance. The OSC selected a 528-core SGI Altix ICE blade cluster powered by the Intel Xeon processor 5500 series, adding it to an SGI Altix 4700 blade cluster based on the Intel Xeon processor 5400 series.
Impact
• Dense, energy-efficient performance. The Intel Xeon processor 5500 series’ energy-efficient performance helps SGI pack up to six teraflops of computing muscle into each rack, enabling OSC to reduce operating costs, free up floor space, and run a cooler, greener data center.
• Research progress. The newest Intel Xeon processor–based SGI system brings OSC up to 30 teraflops of total performance, enabling users to advance their understanding of a wide range of complex issues.
Read the full Oxford University Case Study.
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Oxford University: Serious Performance
Case Study: Intel® Xeon® processor 5500 series; High-Performance Computing; Energy Efficiency: Environment and Performance
Intel® Xeon® processor–based SGI Altix* systems deliver dense, energy-efficient performance for Oxford Supercomputing Centre. You have to love an institution that names its high-performance computing (HPC) systems after fictional supercomputers that committed murder or mayhem. But if the Oxford Supercomputing Centre (OSC) at the University of Oxford shows a whimsical side in naming its systems, it is completely serious when it comes to helping researchers use them to solve complex research Challenges. Two of the OSC’s most powerful supercomputers are SGI Altix* systems based on the Intel® Xeon® processor family, including a dense SGI Altix Integrated Blade Cluster (ICE) powered by the Intel Xeon processor 5500 series.
Challenges
Expanding capacity. Building on its success in meeting the needs of campus researchers, the OSC received funds to expand its HPC resources and extend its services to commercial users.
• Scale and flexibility. The center needed a flexible platform that could run a wide variety of technical applications and scale to meet fast-growing requirements.
Solution
• Intel® Xeon® processor–based performance. The OSC selected a 528-core SGI Altix ICE blade cluster powered by the Intel Xeon processor 5500 series, adding it to an SGI Altix 4700 blade cluster based on the Intel Xeon processor 5400 series.
Impact
• Dense, energy-efficient performance. The Intel Xeon processor 5500 series’ energy-efficient performance helps SGI pack up to six teraflops of computing muscle into each rack, enabling OSC to reduce operating costs, free up floor space, and run a cooler, greener data center.
• Research progress. The newest Intel Xeon processor–based SGI system brings OSC up to 30 teraflops of total performance, enabling users to advance their understanding of a wide range of complex issues.
Read the full Oxford University Case Study.
