Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Development
    • Development

    Punching Up Processing Power

    Written by

    Jeff Burt
    Published November 11, 2002
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      IBM, SGI and Sun Microsystems Inc. next week will roll out new and upgraded systems and tools aimed at increasing the amount of data their supercomputers can handle and the rate of speed at which they move and compute that data.

      The systems will provide vast amounts of processing power for enterprises and researchers running applications that call for increased processing power, such as in complex simulations and computer-generated graphics.

      At the Supercomputing show next week in Baltimore, IBM will introduce its eServer p655 server, which can be equipped with up to eight 1.1GHz P4 processors. By linking 16 of the p655s in a rack, an enterprise essentially creates a 128-processor supercomputer, according to IBM, of Armonk, N.Y.

      The p655 will ship next month; a four-node system is priced at $73,995.

      Also at the show, SGI, formerly known as Silicon Graphics Inc., will unveil the Origin 3900 supercomputer. It packs four times the amount of computational performance into the same space that its predecessors occupy, according to officials with the Mountain View, Calif., company. The 3900, available now, will scale to 512 processors and 1 terabyte of memory.

      SGI will also announce new workflow optimization features in its proprietary Irix 64-bit Unix operating system, which is featured in the Origin 3000 line. The SGI Irgo HPC (high-performance computing) workflow software features SGI MIPSpro compilers that enable developers to create code more quickly. It also includes a parallelization option to help programmers developing parallel code. Security features include Trusted Irix with multilevel data classification.

      For its part, Sun will announce the beta version of an upgrade to its HPC Cluster Tools software, which enables developers to link computing resources for such work as parallel application development. Version 5 of the middleware will feature scalability up to 256 computing nodes—Version 4 can connect 64 boxes—and will include the MPI-2 message passing standard. Also new is integration with the Sun Open Net Environment Grid Engine and support for the Solaris 8 and 9 operating systems.

      The clustering tools will also include parallel debugging and performance analysis capabilities, according to officials at Sun, of Santa Clara, Calif. The beta is available as a free download; general availability is slated for early next year, they said.

      While such off-the-shelf products may be good for some compute-intensive applications in the energy, manufacturing, science and defense fields, one supercomputer user said customized solutions are still necessary.

      Rather than use processors built for high-transaction applications, supercomputing companies need systems with chips that have faster peak speed, said Horst Simon, director of the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center and an IBM user.

      “All the processors have improved speed, which is good, but the peak speed is slowing down,” said Simon, in Berkeley, Calif. “The processors are made for applications that are different from what were doing.”

      Simon said vendors are beginning to come around. For example, the center and IBM have been discussing a Power5 chip for a project that could increase peak speed more than three times, he said.

      Jeff Burt
      Jeff Burt
      Jeffrey Burt has been with eWEEK since 2000, covering an array of areas that includes servers, networking, PCs, processors, converged infrastructure, unified communications and the Internet of things.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.