Dr. Dobb's | German University to Deploy Energy Efficient SC5832 Computer System

German University to Deploy Energy Efficient SC5832 Computer System

Installation of Europe's most energy-efficient scientific computer to resolve key physics research gaps

January 26, 2009
URL:http://www.drdobbs.com/parallel/german-university-to-deploy-energy-effic/212902548

SiCortex Inc. has announced that MEGWARE Computer GmbH, its partner in Germany, has been selected to install and support a SiCortex SC5832 system at the University of Magdeburg in Germany.

This leading German university will use its new computer to further advance the field of physics in a number of key areas. Research scientists will use the SC5832 to assist in the calculation of quantum spin systems, a series of projects that have been accumulating data for 20 years. In addition, specific applications will run on the SC5832 in the areas of many-body physics and materials science, including the study of nano- and microstructures in semiconductor materials, random number generation, and eutectic crystallization. The university's Laboratory of Fluid Dynamics and Technical Flows will use the SC5832 to advance research in the field of fluid dynamics.

In terms of energy efficiency, the SiCortex system is impressive: "We capped power consumption at 60 kilowatts for the bid, and that limit was a problem for many of the proposed systems," said Dr. Rolf Knocke, director of the Computing Center at the Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg. "Not only did the SiCortex system meet our power requirements, it came in 40 kilowatts under the limit -- quite impressive considering the performance levels of the machine. The expected cost savings over time by running this energy efficient system was also a factor in our decision. Overall, we're very optimistic about how the computer will perform, and are proud to be the first university in Europe to install this dedicated HPC machine."

Headquartered in Saxony -- one of Europe's technology hubs, MEGWARE Computer GmbH distributes High-Performance Computing systems and IT-equipment to industry, banks, trade, universities, schools, and public facilities. Headquartered near Boston, SiCortex Inc. boasts the production of the world's most energy-efficient high-productivity computers. Its architecture was designed from the silicon up to provide performance at the lowest power consumption in the industry. SiCortex computers scale from 72 to 5,832 processors running Linux and other open-source codes, in packages ranging from deskside to departmental to data center.