Having been founded as result of an acquisition (HPC business of Pallas GmbH), the Bruehl site has been operational since September 2003. Currently, it comprises 22 employees (most of them software engineers) working on the development of Grid technology, tools for IA-Clusters, strategic engagement with high-end customers and tools-related marketing. A Parallel Application Center lab (PAC-lab) that provides access for ISVs to cutting-edge Intel cluster technology is operating on the premises.

Cluster tools
Focus is on the development of distributed-memory tracing and performance analysis tools, with the Intel Trace Collector and Intel Trace Analyzer as flagship products and world market leaders. These tools generate detailed execution traces for parallel applications, and provide in-depth analysis functions for identifying performance bottlenecks. Both tools fully support the IA 32 and IPF architectures, with versions for EM64T under active development. This activity includes employees based in the US (KSL), Russia (INNL) and China (Beijing).

Grid technology
Based on the Unicore Grid system developed by Pallas, the Bruehl Grid team works on advanced Grid user and application interfaces that will be compliant to OGSA and WSRF-compatible Grid middleware. The objective here is to simplify the creation of Grid-aware applications and the Grid-enabling of legacy software in order to accelerate the uptake of Grid technology in commerce and industry. This activity feeds into the Grid enabling efforts by SMDG and other parts of EPG, and comprises employees in the US (KSL) and China (Beijing).

The town of Bruehl (population 50,000) is located close to the city of Cologne (population 1,000,000), which is one of the premier economic and cultural centers in Germany, focusing on Electronic Media, Banking and Insurance, and Chemical industry. Communication by car, train and airplane is straightforward, with several major highway hubs, the major train station of Cologne, and Cologne airport within 25 km distance. For intercontinental flights, the Lufthansa hub at Frankfurt can be reached within 90 minutes.