Νέα συμφωνία Cray/AMD - NOAA/Oak Ridge National Lab για Super Computer Νέας Γενιάς.

grimpr · 26 Μαΐου 2010

Νέα συμφωνία Cray/AMD - NOAA/Oak Ridge National Lab για Super Computer Νέας Γενιάς.

Next Generation Supercomputer for Advanced Climate Modeling

Cray Awarded 47 Million Contract to Build a Next Generation Supercomputer for Advanced Climate Modeling

Cray Increases Its Presence in Some of the World’s Most Prestigious Weather and Climate Research Centers

SEATTLE WA, USA – /MARKETWIRE via COMTEX/ –Global supercomputer leader Cray Inc.has announced it has received a contract from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to provide the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) with a next-generation Cray supercomputer.

As part of an interagency partnership between DOE and the U.S. Department of Commerce, which oversees NOAA, the next-generation Cray supercomputer will be used for advanced climate modeling and research, and will be called the Climate Modeling and Research System (CMRS).

The CMRS will provide a dedicated high performance computing resource for NOAA and its research partners, and will allow scientists to leverage a significant increase in computing capacity to address some of the most pressing global climate change questions. Once completed, the Cray supercomputer will be the world’s most powerful high performance computing system dedicated to climate research.

The purchase is being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This investment in science and modeling capabilities will strengthen NOAA’s ability to provide decision makers, whether individuals, businesses, or governments, with the climate information they need to make smarter more informed decisions for their families, businesses and communities.

“NOAA is recognized as a world leader in understanding and predicting the earth’s environment through advanced modeling capabilities, climate research and real-time weather products,” said Joe Klimavicz, CIO and director of high performance computing and communications at the Department of Commerce/NOAA.

“High performance computing is absolutely necessary for weather forecasts and climate predictions, and we are excited to have the computational resources of a next-generation Cray supercomputer to further our research.”

“The new Cray system will give the climate modeling community the ability to study climate change and its impact on our planet with a dramatic increase in computational capability,” said James Hack, who heads climate research at ORNL and directs the National Center for Computational Sciences.

“The deployment of this system will allow NOAA scientists and their collaborators to study systems of greater complexity and at higher resolution, and in the process will hopefully improve the fidelity of global climate modeling simulations.”

Consisting of products and services, the contract is valued at 47 million. The multi-year, multi-phase agreement includes the delivery of a Cray XT6 supercomputer and a delivery of a next-generation Cray supercomputer code-named “Baker.”

Phase one of the contract, the delivery of the Cray XT6 system, is expected to go into production in the second half of 2010.

Phase two of the contract, which includes the delivery of the additional “Baker” system and upgrading the Cray XT6 system to a “Baker” supercomputer, is expected to be complete in 2011. Additional upgrades are planned for 2012.

“The importance of climate research is undeniable, and this announcement reaffirms Cray’s role in providing scientists with the leadership computing capability required to explore the impact of climate change and its effect on all of our lives,” said Peter Ungaro, president and CEO of Cray.

“NOAA and DOE are at the forefront of climate research and we are honored that they chose a Cray supercomputer to fulfill this important need for a high performance climate modeling system.”

Some of the world’s most highly recognized weather and climate research centers continue to select Cray for their supercomputing needs.

Last month, Cray signed a contract with the Foundation for Space Technology, Applications and Science in Brazil to provide the National Institute for Space Research with a new Cray XT6 supercomputer for weather forecasts and climate studies.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado recently purchased a Cray XT5m midrange supercomputer, the Finnish Meteorological Institute is home to a Cray XT5m, and last year Cray won a contract to provide the Korea Meteorological Administration with a next-generation “Baker” supercomputer.

With a planned release early in the third quarter of 2010, the “Baker” supercomputer will feature a new interconnect chipset known as “Gemini” and enhanced system software that improves the performance, productivity and reliability of the system. Cray’s planned “Baker” supercomputer builds on the Cray XT system architecture found in the world’s fastest supercomputer and improves it in every key dimension.