Sun Microsystems, Inc. is helping the High Performance Computing Virtual Laboratory (HPCVL.org) to more rapidly pursue discovery and research projects with the selection of Sun technologies within its world-leading High Performance Computing (HPC) Centre. The expansion is expected to quadruple current computing power and storage, and speeding results for researchers working on complex scientific and economic problems.
The new HPCVL systems will be built upon Sun technologies including Solaris 10, Sun Fire E25K SPARC processor-based servers and Sun 6130 StorEdge arrays. The USD 22M/CAD purchase will allow the Canadian research organization to enhance a powerful and efficient computing solution that services multiple research groups including the areas of Stem-Cell Research, Economics, Physics and Psychology.
"HPCVL depends upon access to the best compute technology, and we're excited to be working with Sun to integrate current and future SPARC based high-performance systems into our research centres," said Dr. Ken Edgecombe, executive director of HPCVL. "Sun has consistently kept us at the forefront of high performance computing, enabling our world-class researchers to advance their work in fields that impact our society at many levels."
Since 1999 HPCVL and Sun have been building on a unique public/private relationship to enhance the Canadian research which has seen smaller research clusters give way to a single, more powerful and efficient cluster that services multiple research groups.
"The new technology investment will ignificantly boost HPCVL's capabilities and maintain its status as one of the world's leading HPC centres," noted Dr. Marc Tremblay, Sun Fellow, vice president and chief architect for Sun's Scalable Systems Group at Sun. "In phase two, HPCVL intends to use Sun's future high-end multi-threaded SPARC-based systems that will optimise performance and enable them to stay on the leading-edge."
